Hero
by lightbright90
Summary: As a child, Bella Swan dreamed of using her powers to become a hero. Instead, she became a cat burglar. Can a mysterious figure from her childhood guide her back to the light? AU, but not quite AH.
1. Prologue

Prologue

He was watching her again. This time it was in the supermarket.

Seven-year-old Bella Swan scowled at the man with the penny colored hair. The man always seemed to appear whenever she was about to do something wrong. He loved to ruin her fun.

A few moments ago she was in the midst of floating a chocolate bar into her unsuspecting father's shopping cart. Just as she was about to drop it into the cart, the man floated it back over to the shelf she had mentally lifted it from.

Now he was staring her down, seemingly expecting some sort of explanation. No one else noticed him doing so, of course. No one ever did. Bella was the only person who ever saw him. She knew he was not an imaginary friend, though. Her imaginary friends would never stop her from stealing a candy bar. She had decided long ago that he must be her very own angel. He was certainly handsome enough to be one.

Staring at him was like staring into the sun. She lost their staring contest because she had to look away. _I'm hungry. Why can't I just take it?_ she asked with her mind.

Her and the man always spoke mind-to-mind. He was the only person that she did it with. She often played around in the minds of others, but they never got into her mind. This man was the exception to that rule. He could enter her mind, but only when she allowed it. Like she was now.

_Little Bella, you know better than that. Stealing is wrong. These powers that you have are meant for much more than that_. He gave her a mental tap on the nose.

She rolled her eyes at him. _Oh yeah, mister man. What's that?_

He smiled back at her. _You can use them to help people. To make their lives better_.

She thought about that. _Like a superhero?_

She felt his chuckle in her mind_. Just like that._ He looked at something behind her and his expression became solemn. _Your dad is pretty far ahead of you now. You better catch up._

_Can you at least tell me your name this time?_ she pleaded.

He shook his head. _You can call me Batman_, he retorted playfully. _And I will call you Batgirl_.

She was about to argue with him (an angel could not be called Batman!) when she heard her dad call her name. She turned to tell him to wait. By the time she turned back the man was gone.

xXx

Edward Cullen saw his "brother" Jasper standing on the outskirts of the supermarket parking lot. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Jasper frowned at him. "I came here to try to talk some sense into you. You wouldn't have to make these trips to see the girl if you would just allow her to come live with us and let us train her."

Edward shot him a nasty glare. "She has a family who loves her. I cannot take her away from that."

"She won't have a family left if _he_ finds her. You'd be better able to protect her and her family if you would allow Carlisle to mentor her. "

Edward scoffed at that. "No one is going to do anything to her or her family. I am here to watch over and protect her, as is my right. And she does not need Carlisle to mentor her. Her control over her powers is almost as good as mine is. She only needs guidance on which causes to use those powers for."

"You cannot intervene in her life forever, Edward. Eventually she is bound to figure out what you are before she reaches adulthood. If you want her to have a normal childhood, then you cannot keep appearing out of thin air," Jasper argued.

Edward sighed, knowing his brother had a point. Edward knew from decades of reading Jasper's mind that his adopted brother always thought in a measured, logical manner. "I will slowly ease my way out of her life and continue to watch her from afar. Would that satisfy you, brother?" It would pain Edward to do so, but he knew that he would get to reconnect with her once she was an adult and came into her full powers.

Jasper shrugged. "Not really, but I know it's the best that I'll get out of you. We'll be having this argument again, though, I'm sure." He huffed out a breath and plastered a smile on his face. "Esme wanted help redecorating the dining room. Care to lend a hand?"

"Sure." Edward and Jasper began walking towards his car when he caught a glimpse of Bella and Charlie Swan getting into a police cruiser. Charlie was helping Bella buckle up while tickling her at the same time. Bella and Charlie were both laughing.

No, Edward could certainly not take that away from her.


	2. Chapter One

Author's Note: This story may contain triggers for those who have been victims of sexual violence. Please do not read this story if this is a topic that upsets you.

I plan on updating on Mondays. I may be able to update more than once a week during certain weeks. I may also be a couple days late during certain weeks. It all depends on my work schedule, but I will always aim for Mondays.

Chapter One

Bella Swan used her mind to unlock the door of the old white house. It was like so many of the houses in Princeton, New Jersey. There was nothing ostentatious about it, but it was easy to tell that whoever dwelled within was quite rich.

Bella was rich, but this was not her house. This house belonged to Professor Michael Newton. He was Bella's Economics professor and a very wealthy man. He was also her target for the night.

Usually Bella never stole from someone without first talking to he former guardian and mentor Aro Volturi, but she was willing to make a special exception for Newton. Aro would understand and certainly would not mind the haul that he would get out of it.

Mike Newton deserved this. He spent hours of class time at the university staring down girls' shirt. Bella felt uncomfortable around most men, save for Aro. Mike Newton's attentions made her feel especially uncomfortable, though. He spent an excessive amount of time staring at Bella—more so than the other girls in class. His gaze made her skin crawl and she would do anything to get him to stop. Including breaking into his house, scaring the shit out of him and stealing his prized Manet.

Bella sought out Newton's psychic signature in the house and found him in the kitchen. She sauntered noiselessly into the kitchen and found him having a midnight snack.

"Hello, Professor Newton," she purred.

Newton spit out the cookie he was eating and turned towards her. "B-B-Bella Swan?" he stuttered, looking like he was about to crap his pants. "How did you get in here? What are you doing in my house?"

Bella walked slowly over to him, making sure to sway her hips just so. She could see that Newton was going from being panicked to being aroused. She stopped right in front of him and stroked his chest. Bella hated touching men unless it was necessary. In this case, her plan necessitated it. "I came here to have a conversation with you, Professor."

"And what would that conversation pertain to, Ms. Swan?" Newton asked, clearly trying (and failing) to lower his voice in a seductive manner.

Bella chuckled and used both her hand and telekinesis to push him against the counter. Newton looked startled and no longer aroused. Bella smirked and entered his mind.

_You've been a bad boy, Professor. I don't like the way you leer at me and the other women in class. In fact, I would like you to stop. Immediately. But that's not the only thing that I'd like for you to do. Are you ready to do exactly as I say?_ Bella asked the question even though she knew he was completely under her control.

Newton nodded, a glazed look in his eye.

Bella tapped him on the nose as if he were a dog that had pleased her. _Good boy. I want you to give me the Manet from your front hallway and put it in my car._

Newton blinked and walked into the hallway. He immediately went to work at taking down his prized painting.

Bella smirked. Normally she would have taken the painting herself, but she enjoyed the power that she had over this sniveling man. Aro would probably not be happy that she had so much interaction with Newton, but she would deal with that later.

She stole artwork for Aro whenever he asked. He knew that she enjoyed both the thrill and the money that she received from doing it. She would do it for him, regardless. She owed Aro more than she could ever repay him.

Bella was torn from her thoughts when she heard Newton asking where her car was.

"Follow me," she murmured, leading him outside to her car. Once he was done loading the painting, she pushed into his mind again. _You will not remember any of this. If anyone asks where your painting went, you will say that you donated it to charity. As for your interactions with the fairer sex . . . I want you to start treating women with the respect they deserve. Also, I want you to never, ever try to have sex with a woman again. For the rest of your life, your hand will be your only companion. _

Bella nodded to herself, satisfied with the punishment she had given him. _Run along now Newton. It's past your bedtime. _

Once Newton was safely inside his house, Bella leaned back against her car and sighed. The temporary high from what she had just done was wearing off. She began thinking about what her parents would have thought of her actions. Not that it mattered. Renee and Charlie Swan had been dead for six years.

As she tamped down on her guilt, she felt a mind brush against hers. It was a sensation she hadn't felt since she was 12, when "Batman", the man she had once thought of as her guardian angel, disappeared from her life. He still remained the only person who had ever been able to enter her mind.

_Was the mind control really necessary?_ the all too familiar voice whispered across her mind.

Bella stiffened and turned around. There he was. "Batman" was leaning against the telephone pole nearest to her, looking just as gorgeous as ever. Bella usually had a hard time thinking of men as attractive, but something about this man had always and would always draw her in. It was too bad that he wasn't real.

"Oh god, I'm going crazy again," she groaned, wiping a hand across her face. "Be gone, figment of my imagination!"

Bella had decided long ago that her so-called guardian angel was really just a side effect of her psychic powers. She figured that hitting puberty made those side effects go away. Apparently, she was wrong. She'd just have to find a way to ignore him.

The man chuckled, causing Bella to gasp. She had never heard his voice before. Sure, she'd heard his "voice" in her mind, but it was more of a sensation and not a sound. It was something she could not describe to someone that didn't have the powers she had.

He smiled at her indulgently. "I'm very real, Bella and I think you know that." He had spoken to her. Out loud.

She hid her shock and snorted. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say 'Batman'."

He was not real. He was not real. _He was not real_.

"How can I prove to you that I'm real, Bella? I'll do anything. There's a very important conversation that we need to have and we need to have it as soon as possible. I need you to believe in me." In that moment he looked like the angel she always thought him to be.

It only hardened her heart against him. "Listen up. You don't exist. Just go away!"

He could not be real because if he was real, then how could he have ignored her cries for help six years ago? How could he ignore . . . No. She wouldn't go there. Thinking about _it_ simply wouldn't do.

Bella heard a dog barking and saw a woman walking her dog down the street.

The man also noticed the woman and her dog, a smirk sliding into place on his handsome face. "Hello, ma'am," he said to the woman. "Nice evening to be taking a walk, isn't it?"

The woman glared at him. "Mind your own fucking business," she snapped, walking her dog quickly away from Bella and "Batman".

He grinned at Bella. "Gotta love New Jersey!"

She glared back at him, feeling the anger that she kept buried beginning to surface. He was real—the dog lady reacting to him proved it and he knew it. Bella's power began to surge, her psychic energy causing a small breeze. She needed—no, she _deserved_—answers from him.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked in a chilling whisper.

The grin dropped from the man's face. "I'm Edward Cullen and I'm just like you," he said. "But I think you already knew the second part."

Her nostrils flared. "I am nothing like you," she hissed. "For years you were there every time I was in danger or about to make even the smallest bad decision. Then, suddenly you go poof. You just disappeared. You weren't there at the moment that I needed you most." She shook her head. "No, I am nothing like you. I would never abandon someone the way you did me."

The man—Edward—looked at her with sorrow in his eyes. She would peg him for being in his mid twenties, but the look in his eyes made him seem ancient. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Bella. I blame myself every day for your parents' death. I tried to stop it, but I was too late. I've looked for you every day for the past few years and now I've finally found you. I'm here to help you."

She coughed out a bitter laugh. "Help me? Does it look like I need help? I'm no damsel in distress. I'm perfectly content with my life."

Edward pinched his nose and blew out a breath. "Really, Bella? You are content with stealing paintings for scum like Aro Volturi? The girl I once knew may have had a penchant for thievery, but she always used her powers for good as well."

"You don't know the first thing about Aro Volturi. He has done more for me than you will ever know. And the girl you once knew? She died along with her parents." Bella could feel the breeze that she was causing pick up. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I sense there is much that you do not know about Aro. I once thought he was a good man, too. You have no idea how wrong I was." Edward took in the hard expression on Bella's face and sighed. "I can see that I will be making no headway with you tonight."

"And you never will," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

He chuckled and sauntered over to her. He stopped half a foot away. No man dared invade her body space like this and she liked it that way. This time though, she found herself wishing that Edward were closer instead of farther away.

He touched her hand, making her whole body feel like a live wire. There was something magical in his touch. It felt as if he were touching her very being.

Bella didn't like it. She liked to be in control. She began to pull her hand away, but before she could Edward pulled it back, only to quickly slip a small piece of paper into her palm.

When he slid his hand away, she felt both upset and relieved. "What the fuck is this?" she snapped, trying to cover up her discomfort.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. His breath warmed her neck. "It's my phone number and address. I'll be in touch soon, of course, but should you feel the need to contact me . . ." he trailed off.

She went to push him away, but before she could he was gone. He had simply vanished into thin air.

"Where the hell did you go?" she yelled.

She felt Edward's gleeful laugh in her mind. _Don't worry, Batgirl. You'll be seeing me soon enough._

She slumped against her car, her hand over her heart. The paper in her hand was crumpling. She carefully unfolded it. Not only had he written down his contact info, he also had written her a note. His handwriting could only be described as graceful. It almost looked like calligraphy. The message written in it baffled her.

_Make sure to read the newspaper tomorrow_.

xXx

Bella fell into a deep sleep that night, a dream taking over her mind. It was not so much a dream as a long forgotten memory.

It was Halloween and she was eight years old. She insisted on dressing up as Batgirl much to her parents' bafflement. Of course, they could hardly know that she was dressing up for her guardian angel. She knew she wasn't likely to see him, but that he was somewhere watching her.

She could not have been more surprised when he appeared in her open windowsill. She was even more shocked to see that he was dressed up as Batman.

She couldn't help but to giggle. _You look silly_, she told him, chewing on a piece of her Halloween candy.

He smiled at her fondly and floated a bag of Swedish Fish over to himself. He opened the bag and began eating from it. As he ate, he talked to her with his mind, as he always did. He refused to talk to her any other way.

_Don't you think I look like a hero?_ he asked her.

She shook her head.

_Well, I think I look like a hero. I also think _you_ look like a hero_, he retorted.

A frown appeared on her face. _I don't think I can be a hero_, she told him. _Heroes always have to do the right thing. I don't always do the right thing. I make a lot of mistakes. _

She could feel his mirth_. Heroes can mistakes, Bella. In fact, all heroes make mistakes. A real hero fixes those mistakes and sometimes even works on fixing the mistakes that others have made_. He winked at her.

She digested that information. _Okay, I think I can be a hero, but there is one thing I'll need to do first. _

He raised an eyebrow at her. _Oh?_

_Get my mom to buy me a cape._

Bella could still feel Edward's laughter at her childish demand in her mind as she woke up. She was the furthest thing from a hero now. The mistakes she had made couldn't be undone.

No, she would never be a hero. And if she couldn't be a hero, she might as well play the part of the villain.


	3. Chapter Two

Author's Note: This one is early. I hope you guys don't mind. Next chapter on Monday . . . probably.

Chapter Two

"Bella, please, have a seat." Aro Volturi gestured to the chair across from him in the fancy café he had chosen for their meeting.

Bella smiled nervously at him, not sure how he was going to take the news of the painting that she had stolen from Michael Newton's house. She had brushed off any concerns about Aro's reaction last night, but the morning had brought them all rushing to the forefront. How would he react to her impulsiveness?

Of course, she had more than Aro's reaction the Manet to be worried about. She was also concerned that he would find out about Edward Cullen. Aro could not read her mind like he could everyone else's, but he had a way of pulling secrets out of her. For some reason, she did not want Aro knowing about Edward. She had a feeling that bringing up Edward to Aro would be unwise. That was not to say that she had heeded any of Edward's concerns about Aro. It was just that she wanted to find out more about Edward before she mentioned him to Aro.

Bella sat down and smoothed down her skirt. Aro was always impressed when she dressed up for, so Bella had donned her nicest skirt and top for this meeting. With anyone else she would not have bothered, but she loved nothing more than to impress Aro. His approval was rarely given, which made Bella appreciate it all the more.

Aro drummed his elegant fingers on the table. "I already ordered your favorite." A pause. "So, dear, what is this about having a Manet?"

Bella swallowed audibly. "Well, I may have impulsively stolen one from one of my professors."

Aro arched an eyebrow, making him look even more handsome than he was. Aro looked to be in his early thirties, but Bella guessed that he was older than that. He looked just the same as he had when she had met him six years earlier. He had the kind of looks that turned heads, male and female. He was pale with angular features and chin length black hair. Bella could see that he was attractive, but she was not attracted to him. He was like an older brother to her and he treated her like a beloved younger sister. It was the only comfortable male/female relationship she had in her life.

Right now the look Aro was giving her was very similar to the look an older brother would give to his bothersome younger sister. "Oh, Bella, what am I to do with you?"

Bella flushed. "Sorry," she whispered. "I meant to ask you first, but then I was driving and felt his mind. I just . . . he's so vile to me, Aro. He looks at me like I'm a piece of property. You know how I hate that." Bella's tone had become steadily more assured as she explained her motivations to Aro.

Aro chuckled. "I _do_ know how you hate that, dear." He sighed dramatically. Aro rarely did anything without a dramatic flair. "I guess I will have to take it off your hands, then."

"I have it in my car," Bella said, relieved that he was being so understanding.

Aro clapped his hands. "Excellent! Let me just get James to retrieve it for me so that we can go ahead and chit chat over lunch." He tilted his head. It was the only tell he ever gave when he was communicating telepathically with someone.

A moment later a man walked in and stopped next to Bella with his hand out. Everything about this man was average: his looks, his height, his fashion sense. There was nothing about him that would stand out to the naked eye, yet he had always freaked Bella out.

Bella stared at his outstretched hand with disdain. "James," she greeted, reluctantly dropping her car keys into his hand. She tried to avoid as much skin contact as possible.

James smirked, stroking a finger over her hand as he took the keys from her. "I'll be right back," he said.

Bella stared after him, her nostrils flaring. Her attention turned back to Aro when she heard him chuckle. "Couldn't you have brought someone else with you, Aro?" she asked, trying to quell the petulance in her tone.

Aro simply smiled at her. "I hate to make you uncomfortable, but James is the best at what he does. He is . . . irreplaceable." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe if you two spent more time with one another, you would get along better."

Bella almost spit out the water she was drinking. "No," she said vehemently. "I don't need to spend any more time with him than I already do. I can be cordial so long as he behaves."

"He always behaves. He does everything I say, unlike a rebellious young woman I know," Aro retorted, shifting forward in his seat. Bella wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. It was always hard to tell with Aro.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying her best to placate him. "It won't happen again."

Aro leaned back in his seat. "I'm sure it will happen again, dear. Just send me a simple text next time." A grin appeared on his face. "I am glad that you are finally doing what you want instead of what you think you should do."

Bella frowned. "What if what I want hurts other people?" she asked.

"Life's too short to worry about the feelings and well being of others. They all live their lives exactly the way they want and you should do the same."

Bella and Aro had been through this argument many times before. Each time they had it he became more and more convincing. Up until she was sixteen, she had lived her life for others. That had only gotten her parents killed and Bella in a juvenile detention facility. The farther she got from her parents, the easier it was to live away from their morals.

Aro, as he was wont to do, changed the subject. "What is our waitress thinking right now?"

The corners of Bella's mouth turned up. "She's thinking about how handsome you are. She's also wondering whether or not I'm 'with' you."

Aro let out a sigh. "I'm so jealous that you can do all that with such ease."

"All it takes is a touch for you," she reminded him. Aro could read thoughts through a single touch. He could broadcast his thoughts without touching, though. It was a part of his ability to control minds.

"Except for with you," he shot back.

A full-blown smirk spread across her face. "My mind is a prison," she said proudly. _Except when it comes to Edward Cullen_, she added on silently. She was never more thankful that Aro couldn't read her mind.

The waitress came to the table with their food, interrupting their playful banter.

As Bella and Aro ate their food, Aro asked a question that Bella was not expecting. "So, any new men in your life that I should know about?"

Bella froze, but quickly forced herself to relax. "Nope. You know you're the only man in my life," she said with a wink.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You know what I meant, but I'll take that to mean that you're as single as always. That is a very good thing." He paused, seeming to realize how that sounded. "Not that I want you to be alone, dear. Not at all! You'll find the right man someday. Now would just be a bad time. If you're going to be joining me at the company after you graduate next semester, then it would be easier if you were single."

Bella averted her eyes. "I don't think you have to worry about that—now or in the future."

Aro patted her hand. Bella had become used to Aro's physically affectionate nature over the years. While she never found his touch to be comforting, she could tolerate it.

"You will surely find someone. If not, then you could always marry me," he said.

There was nothing in his tone to indicate that he was joking, but Bella knew that Aro had a very dry sense of humor. Bella threw back her head and laughed. "Could you imagine that?"

Aro simply smiled back at her. He checked his watch and frowned. "I really must get going. I have an important meeting to attend." He pulled out his wallet and carefully placed a stack of cash from it on the table.

Bella's eyebrows almost hit her hairline. "That's quite a tip."

"You did tell me that the waitress was being quite complimentary about my looks. I just thought I'd repay the compliment monetarily."

Ever the gentleman, Aro helped Bella out of her chair and walked her to her car.

He gave her a gentle, careful hug before saying, "James should have left the keys to your car in the ignition, as always." He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Make sure to erase our presence from everyone in the café's minds before you drive out."

Bella nodded, getting into the car. "I will." Her mind was already reaching out, doing the task that he had assigned her. As she pulled away, she could see Aro in her rearview window staring at her car intently.

She pushed down on the gas and sped off.

xXx

Bella stopped at Wawa on the way home to pick up a few "necessities". These included an Icee and a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

As she was browsing, she noticed the newspaper stand and remembered Edward's note. She walked over and picked up _The Star Ledger_. The headline read, _Third Rape in a Month on Princeton Campus_.

Bella froze and heard a splat. She looked down to see that she had dropped her Icee. It had spilled all over the floor. She could not bring herself to care.

What was Edward Cullen playing at? Was he trying to taunt her? To torture her?

Her life must be some sort of sick game to him. She was going to go over to his house and shove this newspaper right up his ass.

She walked briskly out of the store, a Wawa employee yelling after her about the mess she had made. She flipped him the bird and kept on moving. Once she got in her car, she plugged in Edward Cullen's address into her navigation system and headed out to his house.

xXx

Calling it a "house" had been an understatement. Edward Cullen lived in a mansion. Bella didn't care about the size of his house, though. She just wanted him in it, and he wasn't at the moment.

Bella could not feel Edward's mind at all. She decided this was a good thing, though. She could send him an even more effective message while he wasn't home, along with stealing a few of his sure-to-be-expensive belongings.

She broke in easily. _A home like this should really have better security_, she thought. It made her feel oddly protective of Edward Cullen. The feeling surprised her, considering she was pretty sure that he was an evil asshole.

She crept through the foyer (_of course_, he had one) and went right into the sitting room. She paused when she saw a stack of files on the table.

She picked up the file on top. The cover read, _Alice Brandon: Victim #1_. Bella's brow furrowed. She flipped to the front page of the file. It was a newspaper clipping.

It read, _Alice Brandon was raped in her apartment in Princeton on the night of October 2, 2011, a source tells us. She was sent to Princeton Plainsboro Hospital immediately after to recover from the injuries that she sustained during the traumatic incident. Our source also tells us that Ms. Brandon remembers nothing from the attack. Apparently, she is quite hysterical at the moment and has been placed in the mental health facility, Princeton House . . ._

Bella stopped reading. Why the hell would Edward Cullen have a file on this? It was sick.

She through the file down roughly, causing the rest of the pile to spill over. Only one file was left on the table. The title of it caused Bella to tremble.

_Isabella Swan_.

"What the fuck?" she whispered.

She felt his mind before she heard him speak.

"Is that how the cool kids say 'hello' nowadays?"


	4. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter was late. I had some real life business to attend to, but I should be back on schedule now. Thanks to everyone for the reviews!

Chapter 3

Bella was seething. She was the type of person who got quiet, instead of loud, when she got angry. Everything about her was still.

Carefully, she picked up the file that had her name on it and held it out towards Edward. "What is this?" she asked, her voice soft. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

The smirk on Edward's face stayed in place, but his eyes were serious. "It's every ounce of information I could find on you since you fell off the grid six years ago."

Bella huffed out a breath. She gestured to the other files. "Do you just so happen to be following these girls, too? What are you, some kind of pervert?"

"No, I'm not a pervert."

"Then why have those files?"

Edward pinched his nose. "I'm investigating the string of rapes that have plagued this area as of late."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "First of all, you talk like an old man. Second of all, isn't that a job for the police to do?"

Edward ignored her jab. "The police aren't privy to all of the information that I'm privy to." He tapped his forehead. "Also, don't you think it a bit odd that none of these girls remembered at thing about their attacker?"

Bella paled. "I hadn't gotten that far into their files. I only read the news clipping from Alice Brandon's. Besides, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was mind control. The human mind tends to suppress the details of these kinds of things." Bella was rambling, she knew, but she was doing everything she could to keep her own memories and feelings at bay.

Edward just stared at her.

"Okay, fine," she said. "It probably is someone who has some sort of psychic powers. What are we supposed to do about it, though?"

"That's why I came to you. We need to stop whoever is doing this. I can't do it without your help."

Bella shook her head. "You don't need me for this."

Edward looked uncomfortable. "Do you really think it would be right for me, a man, to go probing their minds to find out what happened to them?"

"No, it wouldn't." Bella sighed. "Fine. I'll interview the victims." She knew it would open up a whole new can of worms for herself, but something about these rapes struck a cord with something deep within her. She wasn't going to tell Edward that, though.

Edward beamed at her. "Great! We can go visit Alice Brandon at Princeton House right away."

Bella held up a hand. "No, I'm doing this without you. In fact, I want to interact with you as little as humanly possible. I don't want you thinking that I want you to be some part of my life because of this. You can't just come marching back into my life just like that. You abandoned me. I will never forgive that and I certainly will never forget it."

Edward came to stand in front of her. When he went to put a hand out towards her she took a step back. He dropped his hand, frowning. "I can't tell you how sorry I am Bella. I thought I was doing what was best for you when I stopped coming to you when you were 12. It's just that—"

Bella gave him a psychic shove. "I don't want to hear your fucking excuses, Edward. None of them will be enough for me. I spent years thinking that I was crazy, that I had made you up. You made me question everything about the world—and not in a good way. I just don't have the energy to be dealing with you. I don't have many people that I value in my life. Once they're off the list, they're off it forever. And, Edward, you're off the list."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You didn't used to be like this, Bella. I don't know what I have to do to bring back the girl who used to want to be a superhero."

"There are no real heroes in this world. I thought you were a hero once, but you ended up being just as bad as the rest of them. Every single thing you ever taught me was a lie. Now, I just try to stay under the radar and have a little fun when I can. That's the best anyone can do."

Bella scooped up all of the folders. "Now, if you excuse me, I should really be going. I've got a date at the Princeton House."

Edward tried to grab her, but she evaded him. "Bella, wait," he pleaded.

She cut him off. "No," she said vehemently. "Stop this shit. You only found me so that I could help with this stupid case. The sooner I get to it, the sooner we'll be out of each other's hair."

Bella stalked out the door and quickly got into her car. As she was driving away, she could feel his presence in her mind.

_I don't only want your help on this case, Bella. I came back for you. Since the day your parents died, I have searched tirelessly for you, only to hit roadblocks at every turn. I may not be the perfect man that you thought of me as, but I am also not the villain that you think of me as now. You are the only person who has ever touched my mind—the only person whose mind I have to even make an effort to read. I want you to think about why that is. You will be hearing from me soon. Be safe._

Bella ignored him. She didn't want to think about his words or what they meant. If she did, she might have to accept that her reality wasn't what she thought it was once again. And she couldn't do that. Ever.

xXx

The Princeton House was fairly easy to find, but not all that easy to get into. Bella should have expected that a mental hospital would have fairly tight security. Luckily for her, she could get around any security system.

She thought she'd try the old fashioned way first.

She went up to the receptionist's desk and smiled at the old lady sitting there. "Hello, I'm here to visit Alice Brandon."

"Name?" the old lady asked.

"Bella Swan. I'm a friend of hers from school."

The woman typed something into the computer, and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Swan, but you're not in our system as an authorized visitor."

Bella rolled her eyes. The old fashioned way wasn't going to cut it this time. She grasped the old woman's mind with her own. "I'm pretty sure I am an authorized visitor, ma'am."

The receptionist smiled drowsily at her. "Oh yes, you are. That was my mistake. Here's a visitors tag."

Bella took the tag and stuck it to her shirt. "Where can I find Alice?"

"Room 308. Take the elevator up to the third floor and it's the third door on the left."

"Thank you." Bella tightened her hold on the woman's mind. "You never saw me here and you won't remember my name, okay?"

She got a nod in response. That was good enough for Bella. She released the woman's mind and made her way towards the elevators.

xXx

Bella had to use mind control twice more to stop people form questioning her. It took her another ten minutes to finally reach Alice Brandon's room.

There was a young woman sitting by the window, appearing to gaze out of it. It would have been a completely normal picture had there not been drapes eclipsing any view of the outside world.

Before Bella could say anything, the woman turned and smiled at Bella. She had a riot of short black hair and a young face. Her eyes were weary, though. Her body was frail looking and it looked as if her bones could snap as easily as a twig.

"Hello, Bella Cullen," the woman said. "I'm Alice Brandon. I've been waiting a long time for you."

Bella arched a brow. "The name's Bella Swan. And what do you mean, you've been waiting for me?"

Alice's brow furrowed. "Swan, not Cullen. Oh, yes. Right. It has not yet come to pass."

Bella ignored Alice's ramblings. She would never be a Cullen. She cleared her throat.

Alice's eyes focused on Bella. "Sorry," she mumbled, cheeks reddening. "I saw you with my powers!"

"You what?"

Alice clapped her hands together. "My powers, silly. Just like yours!"

Bella shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about." Bella didn't want anyone knowing about her powers. She certainly didn't want some crazy girl going around saying she had them.

Alice clucked her tongue. "I see that I'll have to convince you. About an hour ago, you were at Edward Cullen's house."

"What? Are you having me followed? That's creepy."

Alice tapped her forehead. "Just as you see minds, I see the past, present and future. Take a look inside my mind, if you must."

Bella decided to take Alice up one her offer—mostly to see if Alice was as crazy as Bella thought she was. When Bella plunged into Alice's mind, she gasped in shock.

Alice had no coherent thought pattern. Instead she had many different lines of thought going on at one time. It was almost like looking simultaneously at a bunch of televisions.

Bella could see a baby being born, a man getting married, an old woman dying. Finally, Bella zeroed in on one storyline: her own.

She saw herself being born and then growing up. It was hard to see her young self happily playing with Charlie and Renee. It was even harder to see how casually she had once interacted with Edward.

It was almost as if the vision skipped, bringing her back to the last few hours. It seemed as if Alice was trying to protect her form having to view the night of her parents' murder.

The visions reached the present moment with Alice, but then they kept on going. She was yelling at Aro with tears streaming down her face. She was smiling blissfully at Edward and embracing him—

Bella stopped and left Alice's mind. "You're making that stuff up," Bella accused.

Alice giggled. "Oh am I? I only allowed you to see the path that you are currently on. Certain things are inevitable, but others may change. You may not like it, but it's true."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I believe you now, but I'm not here to discuss superhuman powers. I'm here to ask you a few questions about what happened to you."

Alice's eyes glazed over then brightened. "Ah yes, this is my favorite part of your story! The part where Bella Cullen plays detective!"

"Bella _Swan_!" Bella gritted out. She breathed in and out through her nose for a moment, trying to calm herself. "Alice, is there anything you can tell me about that night? Maybe something you didn't tell the police?"

"No, it's exactly as I told them. I was in my dorm room. I remember hearing a noise and I remember waking up. I knew what had happened. I could feel it, so I took myself to the hospital. I was upset—who wouldn't be? I started having trouble controlling my visions and I made the mistake of mentioning them to my doctor. I was trying to warn him about his wife cheating on him, you see. Some people don't appreciate a helping hand." Alice paused, realizing she was rambling again. "You can try reading my mind again, if you want."

Bella blanched. "No, thank you." She was a bit disappointed. It seemed as if crazy Alice was a dead end. "Are you sure Alice? You don't remember hearing anything? Maybe even smelling something?"

Alice's eyes lit up. "Yes . . . I remember the smell. I remember thinking about how I could have smelled something so good when something so terrible had just happened."

"What did it smell like?"

"Fresh apples and mint."

Bella froze, trapped in a memory.

_Her parents dead on the kitchen floor. Her memories of what happened gone. A stinging pain between her legs. The smell of fresh apples and mint. _

Bella pulled herself out of the memory to find Alice smiling sympathetically at her.

"I figured," Alice said quietly. "I could never see what happened to you. This man—monster—whoever he is, he has the ability to block my powers But I can see it in your face. He did to me what he did to you."

"The man who did this to me is long dead," Bella whispered, frowning.

"I don't think he is, Bella. Whoever told you that is lying."

"Aro Volturi is the one who told me. He would never lie about something like this." Bella would not, could not, believe that he would do such a thing.

"Aro Volturi is not a man to be trusted. I have trouble seeing him—and I never have difficulty seeing good people. Only the bad ones."

"You're wrong about this. I know Aro. It must be someone else. A connection that we're not seeing."

Alice waved her hand dismissively. "I think it's you who is not seeing the most obvious connection here, Bella. For a girl who sees so much, sometimes you understand so little."

Bella glared at Alice. "I think it's best I leave now. I'll come back another day, when you're making more sense."

Alice smiled serenely. "I think you'll see who's really making sense soon enough, Bella Cullen." Ignoring Bella's nasty look, Alice pressed on. "I have a favor I need to ask of you. I need you to tell Jasper to come pay me a visit."

"I don't even know a Jasper."

"But you will. When you do, you'll ask him to visit me."

Bella made her way to the door. "Sure, Alice. I'll do that."

Bella left without a goodbye but she could hear Alice calling after her.

"Remember, Bella Cullen. You are not alone."


	5. Chapter Four

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and positive words, guys. I really appreciate it. I figure I should warn you all that this chapter is a bit of a downer. Sorry!

Chapter 4

Bella slept fitfully that night. Her meeting with Alice Brandon had brought some of her more unpleasant memories right to the forefront of her mind. Although she could suppress these memories during her waking hours, she could not in her dreams.

She dreamed of the last time she had seen Edward as a child. He had given her no indication that he was leaving, save for the tight expression on his face.

She was 12 years old at the time. Her fascination with him was quickly turning into a crush. Everything he told her during his brief visits was akin to scripture for her. She poured over his words, trying to find both hidden and overt meaning.

The last time he had come to her, she had just had an argument with her parents. She couldn't remember over what, though. It was something inconsequential—something only a pre-teen would start an argument over.

In her anger she had stormed into her back yard, where her mother kept a collection of garden gnomes lining the house. Both Charlie and Bella thought they were creepy, but they indulged Renee's hobby. Bella had decided that her mother's precious garden gnomes were to be the target of her anger. One by one, she picked them up with her mind and smashed them.

After she had decimated about four of her mother's precious gnomes, Edward (or as she had thought of him at the time, _Batman_) appeared out of thin air.

_You should not destroy what is precious to others, little Batgirl_, he scolded.

_Don't call me that_. Bella scowled at him. _These gnomes are just worthless anyways. My mom will just get more. _

_You do not get to decide what is precious to others. There are some things in life that cannot be replaced. Some of those very things may seem quite worthless to you. _

Bella just mentally snorted at him, cowed. Her Batman always had the right words to say. He knew just how to build her up and just how to shame her. Unfortunately, he was doing the latter right now.

She watched as he casually began to pick up the garden gnome pieces with his mind. The pieces slowly came back together and mended themselves. Not a single crack could be seen in the gnomes she had thought she had permanently destroyed.

Her mouth dropped open. "How did you do that?" She was so surprised, that she had spoken aloud. Years before, she had told him that she would not allow him to hear the sound of her voice again until she got to hear his.

He smirked, an acknowledgement in her lapse, but did not bother pointing it out. That was not Edward's way.

_It was telekinesis_, he told her simply.

_I can do telekinesis, but I can't do_ that.

_Maybe you'll be able to do it someday, too_.

Bella crossed her arms. _Why just maybe? If you can do it, I should be able to do it!_

_It depends on what you choose_.

Before Bella could respond, she heard her mother yelling at her from the house.

Edward looked panicked, but his expression quickly smoothed out. The tightness in his features that Bella would remember so well years later took its place.

_Remember Bella, do not let fear and anger dictate your actions. Let your passion and courage guide your path_.

Bella's brow furrowed. She went to respond to him, but he vanished as quickly as he had appeared. She hoped that he would teach her that trick some time soon.

Of course, Bella would never get to learn that trick. It was the last time she had seen Edward as a child.

Her dreams coursed to the next traumatic event of her childhood: the night of her parents' murder.

After Edward's abandonment of her, Bella did not totally rebel—not in ways that got her into any major trouble, at least. Her anger did get the best of her at times, though. She was prone to smashing her mother's garden gnomes and exploding her father's beer bottles. Out of spite, she ignored Edward's last bit of advice to her.

A chasm began to grow between her and her parents, something more than the one that usually existed between a teenager and their parents. She found herself unable to talk to Charlie and Renee about her feelings of abandonment and her ever-growing powers.

As she grew away from her parents, she sought out more contact with the opposite sex. She did not do it out of any particular attraction to men, but in order to spite Edward. She also thought, perhaps, that the boys she dabbled with would help her to forget Edward. The one and only boy that ever had even the smallest glimmer of a chance at that had been her childhood friend, Jacob Black.

Jake was not her boyfriend, but he certainly thought he was. He had been frustrated with Bella that night. As a teenage boy, sex always seemed to be on his mind—specifically, sex with Bella. Bella had no intention of giving up her virginity, though. She may have been willing to fool around, but she wasn't ready to take that step yet. Sex was something she wanted to share with someone who would set her skin on fire with just a glance. Jake was not that person. It was hard to connect with any guy when you could read his every thought.

Jake was always a gentleman, though. He had walked her to her door and she indulged him in a brief make out session. She felt bad for constantly turning him down, so she even allowed him a quick grope to make up for it. It was the last time she would ever see him.

Once Bella went inside her house, she immediately sensed that something was wrong. She couldn't feel the presence of either Renee's or Charlie's minds. They almost never left the house on weekends. Charlie was a homebody and Renee never liked to force him out of the house.

As she crept into the kitchen, she spotted a red puddle on the floor. She smiled to herself. Renee always made a mess when she tried to cook. Her and Charlie must have left the house to go get more supplies. As Bella walked further into the kitchen, she froze.

The red puddle was not some sort of wine or dressing, as Bella had thought. It was blood—specifically her mother's and father's. They both were on the kitchen floor, throats slit and eyes glazed over.

Bella fell to her knees. "Dad?" she croaked out. "Mommy?"

They couldn't be dead. Maybe there was still a chance for them. Bella's mind rushed through all the possibilities. Then, she remembered Edward mending her mother's garden gnomes. Maybe she could try that with her parents.

She set her mind to fixing the fatal injuries they had sustained, but she simply could not do it. She cursed Edward for not being there—for not being able to tell her what to do.

Bella decided to call 9-1-1. They might be able to do something, anything. As she grabbed the phone, a hand shot out and covered her mouth. She smelled apples and mint and then everything went black.

She woke to a throbbing pain between her legs and a police officer asking if she was okay. As she became more aware, she could see that her house was swarming with police officers and EMTs. Their thoughts were buzzing in her mind. Usually, she was able to block out the steady stream of thoughts that assaulted her mind, but she was too vulnerable at the moment.

She could hear these men and women morning their boss. Charlie had been their beloved Chief of Police. Resentment boiled up in her. They had no right to mourn what was hers.

The lights in the kitchen burst, the result of Bella's anger boiling over. The police officer sitting with her removed Bella from the kitchen and brought her out to sit on the front step.

"Stay out here and an EMT will be with you in a moment to check you out," the cop ordered her.

Bella sat gingerly on the step and nodded numbly. It was clear that the police had no idea what had happened to her. They only knew about the obviously fatal attack that had taken place against her parents. She wanted to tell them about her own injuries, but found herself unable to do so.

A car pulled up in front of her house, interrupting her thoughts. It was a sleek Audi that was far more expensive a car than was usually seen in Forks, Washington. A stunningly handsome man with dark hair and a crisp suit walked out of it and towards Bella.

He stopped a few feet away from her, as if sensing that Bella would be uncomfortable with him being any closer. He stared at her for a few moments, his eyes brimming with emotion. "I'm too late," he said hoarsely.

Bella's brow furrowed, not knowing what he meant.

"I came here to stop this very thing," he explained to her. "I've been hunting this monster for so long. I could have stopped this all. You would have never been hurt."

"How could you have stopped him?" There was anger in her voice. She didn't like the idea that this man could have stopped her parents from being murdered and her from being violated, when she could not.

He smiled sympathetically at her. "I'm like you, my dear. I have powers. That's how I found out what was going on."

She probed his mind to see if he was telling the truth. His mind-voice whispered to her. _Hello, Bella_.

She recoiled. "How do you know my name?" she spat out.

"I have been looking for you for a long time. Unfortunately, I found you far too late."

Bella was not satisfied with that. "And why have you been looking for me?"

"To invite you to join me and others like us. I want to help you to improve your powers and to use those powers to our mutual benefit. Also, you could help me stop other bad men like this one."

Bella considered that. "But what about this bad man? The one who did this to my parents. The one who _raped_ me."

Aro blinked at her admission of being raped, but quickly composed himself. "I will track him down and avenge your parents _and_ you. I can promise you that. Unless, of course, you want to do the avenging yourself."

Bella shook her head. "The only way to get even with whoever did this is to murder them and I'm no murderer. Would you do this for me even if I refused to do with you?"

"Yes, I would," he told her, "but it would not nearly be as satisfying if you were never to find out the results of my search. That, and living with me would be much better than having to live in foster care."

Bella looked back at the house she had grown up in. It was filled with so many happy memories that she had shared with both her parents and the man she now thought of as a figment of her imagination. They were all gone now, though. There was nothing left in Forks for her.

Bella turned back to Aro. "I'll go with you on two conditions. The first: I don't want to see any shrinks or doctors about what happened to me. The second: You're not my father, so don't treat me like I'm your kid or something."

Aro stared at her. "Agreed," he said simply. "Is there anything from the house that you want?"

"No, there's nothing that I could ever want left in there."

With that, she followed Aro to his expensive car and left Forks for good. No one ever noticed her and Aro talking or that they were gone. It was a painful reminder of the way her Batman had always had a way of making people not notice him.

In less than a year, Aro had fulfilled his promise and caught and killed the man who had killed her parents and raped her. He had shown her with his mind the man's memories of that night and how Aro had avenged her parents. From then on, Bella was devoted to Aro.

Aro taught her how to get revenge on bad men by teaching her how to use her powers to steal from people undetected. He only had her steal from the worst kind of scum, though. She stole from the kind of people who made their money in the most greedy of ways. Both she and Aro profited greatly from the skills he had taught her.

Bella's dream shifted to the memory of her first burglary—a much happier dream than her previous ones by far. After a while, her sleep finally became more restful.

xXx

When Bella woke up, she couldn't completely shrug off the bad memories she had relived the night before, but she certainly tried to. She got ready with the same precise care she always did.

Bella was not a vain person, but Aro had taught her it was important to always look presentable. She knew she was pretty, but she wasn't truly beautiful. That was okay with her, though. She hated when people took notice of her. A pretty person could blend in much more easily than a beautiful one.

Once she was done getting ready, she headed off for class. It was a Monday and she had only one class scheduled. She was a psychology major in her last year, so she was required to take an advanced seminar.

It was a small class in an even smaller classroom. There were only two empty seats, both on either side of Bella. Although there were no assigned seats in college, no one ever dared to sit next to her. She put it down to the "fuck you" vibe that she purposely gave off.

She had just settled in and class was about to start when an all-too-familiar face sauntered in to her class. To her surprise, her professor smiled brightly at him.

"We have a new student joining us this semester," the professor announced. "His name is Edward Cullen and he's already making his name as a researcher. We couldn't be prouder to have him join us here at Princeton. Join us, Edward." The professor gestured to take a seat with her hand.

Edward turned to look at Bella and grinned. He walked over to her and took one of the empty seats next to her. Bella had never regretted having such a poor relationship with her peers in her life. For now on, she would make sure that every seat next to her in every class was filled. She would even make small talk with others if she had to.

The professor began lecturing and Edward made a show of paying attention, while Bella seethed next to him. There was a small part of her that was happy, though. Their minds couldn't help but join together when they were near one another.

She grasped her anger and held on to it, though. Just yesterday she had told him to stay away from her, yet he had the gall to sneak himself into one of her classes.

_What the fuck are you doing here?_ she thought to him.

Edward didn't bother turning in his seat, but she could feel his childish glee. _Learning about the human mind_.

_Bullshit_.

Edward tilted his head toward her, expression serious. _Can't I just want to spend some time with you?_

Bella tried to contain her eye roll. _Not when I explicitly told you not to interact with me unless it had to do with our little investigation. Not when you went years without wanting to spend any time with me._

Edward heaved a quiet sigh. _If you would just let me explain why I left, then maybe you wouldn't be so angry. Maybe we could get along._

Bella ignored him. _Alice Brandon had some pretty interesting things to say, in case you were wondering._

_Go on_.

_Well, first off, she's a bit nuts. But there's a reason for that: she has a power. She can see . . . well everything. I can't quite explain it._ Bella used her mind to show Edward what she had experienced. He winced. _She also remembered the smell of the guy: apples and mint. She can't remember anything else, though. Doesn't that strike you as odd? _Bella purposely left out the fact that it was the same smell she had smelled all those years ago. It had to be a copy cat—it couldn't possibly be the same man Aro had tracked down for her. Aro would never betray her that way.

_It does seem a bit odd. I'll have to think over what you've told me a little more before I come to any conclusions, though_.

Bella felt that was enough conversation for now. She ignored him and paid attention to the professor.

Apparently, Edward did not enjoy being neglected. He slid his hand closer to hers on the tabletop and began to gently stroke his pinky over hers.

Bella froze up. Usually she would do so because she was uncomfortable with any kind of contact. She did it this time for a different reason, though. She liked it. It made her feel . . . tingly.

She quickly snatched her hand away, trying not to attract any unwanted attention (aside from Edward's). _Stop doing that_.

Edward responded by resting his hand on her thigh.

Bella bristled, despite the warmth she felt spreading throughout her. _Will you stop this . . . fuckery if I let you explain your reasons for leaving?_

He smiled smugly. _Over coffee after class?_

_After class_, Bella agreed. She would hear what Edward Cullen had to say for himself.

And then she would punch him.


	6. Chapter Five

Author's Note: Sorry this was late, guys. I was on vacation with my family. Hopefully finally getting some answers will make up for it!

Chapter Five

Bella and Edward sat across from each other in a Starbucks on the outskirts of campus. Bella was glaring at Edward, who was smirking back at her. Neither of them had said a word since class had ended.

They had communicated in their own way, of course. Although Bella had not allowed her mind to be completely open to him, she could not totally prevent their minds from connecting. She had felt how eager he was to have their meeting happen. In exchange, she had allowed him to see that the feeling was not returned.

It was in moments like these, where she couldn't find the words to verbally communicate with him, that she yearned to fully open up their bond. She wanted his thoughts to be hers and her thoughts to be his. She had never even allowed that kind of connection as a child, when she thought that the sun rose and set with him. The idea of it made her feel far too vulnerable. He had never pushed her to open up that connection to him, either. Not until now, that is.

At that very moment, she could feel his mind nudging against hers, as if knocking for permission to come in. It was a new sensation for her. Her mind yearned to open that door, to let him in. She had learned to control her impulses over the years, though.

"Stop that," she gritted out to him.

Edward's perpetual smirk widened. "I don't think I will. Not until you stop looking at me like you want to skin me alive and ask me the question that you came here to ask me."

"Why the hell do I have to ask you when you already know what I'm going to ask?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"Because I want to make sure that you _really_ want to know the answer."

"Would I be here if I _really_ didn't want to know the answer?" Bella asked mockingly.

Edward just stared at her in return, not letting up one bit in his attack on her mind.

Bella sighed. "Fine. Edward, why did you abandon me and allow for horrific things to happen to me as a child?" She felt him immediately ease up on her mind. A part of her felt bereft.

"Not quite how I would have phrased it," Edward muttered. He sipped his coffee in an effort to gather himself. "I've been waiting to find you for so long, waiting to explain myself for so long. I just don't know where to begin."

Bella snorted. "Stop being so dramatic about this. Just start at the effing beginning."

"Fine. I had lived in Washington for . . . a while before you came along. I could find others like us—help to train them. They would come live with me and my family."

"Wait," Bella interrupted him, "you have a family?"

Edward smiled. "A mother, a father and even a younger brother. You'll meet them soon enough." Bella's scowl caused Edward's smile to drop. "Anyways. We would take them from their families and help to hone their powers. They'd also learn about how to use their powers to help other."

Bella sat back and crossed her arms. "Sounds a lot like what you did with me. Why did you have to take the others from their families, though?"

"We took them from their families in order to protect their loved ones. A child's powers can be erratic, which in turn can be dangerous. Also, families do not often react well to learning their child has seemingly magical powers. We decided it would be best for all concerned if each child's powers were kept a secret. They got to visit with their families, of course."

"How did you convince their parents to let them go with you?"

"We told them that they would be attending the Cullen Academy for the Gifted. Every parent wants to think their child is special, maybe just not in the way that they actually are special." A blush appeared on Edward's cheeks—something she'd never seen him do before. "There were some instances where the parents would not release their child to our care. Unfortunately, in that small minority of cases, mind control had to be used."

A brief laugh escaped Bella. "So you did the very thing to them that you always told me not to do? Hypocrisy lies in even the most noble hearts it would seem." Bella cut off Edward before he could fire back whatever witty retort he had come up with. "What about me? What was so special about me that I got to stay with my family? That I somehow rated private and secret tutelage from you?"

Edward pinched his nose. "This is the part I know you're not going to like. I told you the other day that you and I are the same. That may have been a bit of a lie. You are human and I'm . . . not quite that."

Bella casually sipped her coffee. "I kind of figured that."

Edward's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "And you never said anything?"

"I always thought you were some kind of angel. Now I'm not sure what you are."

"Actually . . ." Edward trailed off.

Bella gaped at him. "You have got to be shitting me. You're not actually an angel."

"Watch your language, Bella."

"First of all, we're in New Jersey, not Kansas. No one is going to care that you're cursing here. Secondly, do you really think that my cursing is not going to bother people and not the fact that you apparently think you're some kind of angel?" Bella hissed.

Edward chuckled. "I've forgotten how funny you could be. And I never said I was an angel, Bella. I'm something like that, though. I don't think you're quite ready for an intense discussion on what I am."

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm not, so get on with explaining what makes me so special to you."

"Well, I have lived a very long time. Never, in all my years, has anyone affected me as you have. You were special to me from the very moment I first met you. The first time your mind connected with my mind . . . I had never felt anything like that before. Your mind was like oxygen to me after that moment. I could hardly stay away from it."

"But you did," Bella chimed in. "You stayed away for ten years."

"Not entirely by choice," Edward reminded her. "When my mind is away from yours, I ache. Back then I was always around you. Most of the time I masked my presence form you so you wouldn't notice. I told my father, Carlisle, about you, about how you made me feel. He was insistent that I bring you to our home so that you could be trained. He wanted to figure out why we were connected. I didn't want him treating you like some kind of lab experiment, though.

"I convinced Carlisle to let me train you in secret. Also, I had to gain the permission of your parents. I approached your father. He had suspected that you were not entirely normal. He said he'd allow me to train you so long as I figured out how to do it in a way that allowed you as normal a life as possible."

Bella's mouth fell open. "Charlie knew? He never said anything to me. Did my mom know too?" She felt betrayed. There were so many times that she felt like a freak growing up. Charlie could have at the very least comforted her.

Edward shook his head. "He didn't want your mom to know—he didn't think she'd be as accepting as he was. He always loved you and accepted you for who you were, though. He just wanted to raise you as a normal kid. Around the time you were twelve he began to notice how attached you had become to me."

Bella's brow furrowed. "But how? He never noticed you when you were around?"

"He noticed other things—the way you would always be looking around for someone, how you would sometimes get a silly smile on your face, how you seemed to be interacting less and less with your peers, but you didn't seem lonely."

A hint of a smile crossed Bella's face. "I never gave my dad enough credit for how observant he was. He was a pretty great cop."

"He was," Edward agreed. "He was an even better father. When he saw you withdrawing from the regular world he asked me to take a step back from you. I agreed, but I knew that I couldn't do that totally, though. I couldn't just keep my distance. I made a compromise with myself. I would stop your lessons and stop watching you. In turn, I would have my brother watch over you, instead."

"There is so much wrong with what you just said to me," Bella sneered at him. "You and Charlie had so much control over my life and I didn't even know it. And why the hell did you think that I needed someone to watch over me?"

"People with powers like us are always in danger, darling. There are enough of my kind at the house to protect the children there from those who would seek to hurt them. There was no one at your home. You needed someone to be watching over you."

Bella felt a sense of dread. "Who was watching over me the day my parents died?"

Edward looked down. "No one. My brother had come to rejoin us at the house. A few of the kids had sensed a threatening presence hanging around the house that day. We figured that you'd be okay for just one day. How wrong we were." Edward stared at her with a deep sorrow in his eyes. "If I'd known what was to happen to your parents, Bella, I would have done anything to stop it. I would have given up my own life rather than have you experience that."

Numbness began to creep over Bella. "No matter what you wish, Edward, it won't change the fact that my parents are dead."

"No, it won't. I just hope that you can maybe understand me a bit better."

Bella carefully traced the lid of her coffee cup with her finger, trying to appear bored and unaffected. "I understand that you are a very high handed person. I understand that, despite the fact that we have a connection you chose to leave me. I understand that you may very well be a pedophile."

Edward, who had been taking a sip of his coffee, started choking. When he was done coughing he stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm not a goddamn pedophile. Not once was I ever attracted to you like that!"

The corners of Bella's lips curled up. "Language, Edward. You're so easy to rile up nowadays." Bella's expression turned serious. "You used the past tense, not the present tense, about not being attracted to me. You are now, though, aren't you?"

Edward stared straight into her eyes, his gaze steady and confident. "Yes, I am. You have grown into a beautiful woman and I cannot help but to notice that. Of all the things I am, I am a man at my core. There's a reason you and I are connected. Whether you believe in it or not, you and I are soul mates. I was born for you and you for me. Together, we can make each other better."

Bella tapped the table with her finger. "That right there is why I will never trust you. Feelings like that only complicate things. Romance never ends in happiness. Never. You and I? We're not soul mates. Something like that can't exist in this world."

Edward's nostrils flared. "Surely you must see that our connection goes beyond our minds. This isn't just some silly romance." Edward leaned over and touched her hand. "You must feel that. I can't be the only one."

Edward's touch burned within Bella. She pulled her hand from out under his. "Feelings can be deceiving Edward. I always _felt_ loved and protected as a child and look where that got me. I appreciate you telling me the truth, but it changes nothing for me Edward. There is only one person in this world who I fully trust and they have done more for me than you will ever know. "

Edward scowled. "If you're talking about Aro Voluturi, Bella, you best start learning that your methodology in choosing who to trust is incredibly flawed."

Bella's expression became closed off. "I've already told you to leave the topic of Aro alone. You should be thanking him if you care about me so much. Because of him I'm a successful college student instead of some kind of criminal."

Edward barked out a laugh. "You don't consider stealing jewelry to be a criminal act?"

"Not when I steal from people who deserve it."

"And who gets to do decide who deserves it, hmmm? My bet is on Aro."

Bella turned scarlet. Edward may have hit the mark with that one, but she was certainly not going to let him get the last word. She'd had enough of dealing with him for today. She used her mind to knock his coffee cup over into his lap.

Edward swore. He grabbed for a few napkins and put them on his lap. The glare he threw Bella's way could have melted an ice cap.

"Oops," she said. "Did I do that? I better be going. I wouldn't want to stop you from getting those expensive pants of yours dry cleaned ASAP. Tootles!" She began collecting her things.

"Wait! Bella!" Edward panted out.

"I'll be in touch." _I'll let you know how the rest of the interviews with the victims go. After that, we're done_, she thought to him.

_We'll never be done, Batgirl_.

Bella ignored him and swept out of the café. Her next stop was Victim #2, Rosalie Hale. Hopefully a visit with Ms. Hale would distract her from thinking about Edward.

Yeah, that would be easy. Not.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Edward sat in the café for a while after Bella's departure. He wished that he'd handled that talk better. He'd come off as some kind of freaky stalker. Words of romance would not be the way to Bella's heart—not when her mind guarded it so thoroughly. He would have to show her how he felt through his actions.

Edward was contemplating all the ways he could woo Bella when he felt a familiar mind-presence. He looked up to see Aro Volutri standing before him.

"May I?" Aro asked, gesturing to the seat that Bella had recently vacated.

Edward gave him a tight smile. "Why not? You've always done as you want."

Aro chuckled softly. "I see that you've not lost your sense of humor over the years, Edward."

"It seems that I did lose something several years ago—something that you found and never gave back," Edward retorted.

Aro's expression remained bland. "You couldn't possibly be talking about dear Bella, could you? She would be quite upset to hear herself referred to as a 'thing.'"

"At least I don't treat her like a thing. Tell me, Aro, how did you warp her mind so much that you've convinced her that you're one of the good guys?"

Aro clucked his tongue at Edward. "That's where you're wrong. She knows I'm not one of the good guys. She just doesn't care. She's experienced so much pain and suffering. I'm the only one who can truly help her take that away. I understand her in a way that you never will."

Edward shook his head. "You've turned her into something that she's not. She has every right to be bitter, but some day she's going to have to let that bitterness go. With the path you have her on now, that bitterness will just grow and grow."

"Anger is passion and having passion is never a bad thing." Aro snapped his fingers for one of the baristas and ordered an espresso. "Anyways, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. I came here to have a discussion with you about our girl."

"She's not _your_ girl," Edward growled out.

Aro waved his hand in the air as if shooing away a fly. "Let's not argue semantics. At first I thought about merely telling you to stay away from Bella, but I could see how that would be impossible for you. Instead, I propose that we play a game."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "What game?"

Aro smiled smugly. "You have Bella trying to figure out who this local rapist is. I can see what you're trying to do here Edward—show her how much better solving a crime will make her feel than committing one. So I want our little game to be this: you try to convince her that your so-called righteous path is what's best for her and I'll try to sway her to my side of things."

Edward's brow furrowed. "You and I would do that without playing one of your petty games."

"Ah, but a game always has prizes. If I lose I'll give you what you want most: my death. If you lose . . . well, you know what I want."

Edward stiffened. "You know I can't give you that."

The waitress came over with Aro's espresso. Aro grinned flirtatiously at her and she blushed in return. When he returned his attention to Edward, the smile was wiped from his face. "Just think on it, Edward. Don't be rash. I know that any son of mine can surely think things through in a logical manner."

Edward stood up abruptly, his anger getting the best of him. "I am not your son."

Aro stood up, too. Edward heard his parting words in his mind.

_What is that old saying? Ah, yes. Blood is thicker than water. I think it's time we test that theory_.

Before Edward could respond to him, Aro had swept out of the restaurant.

Edward knew then that he would have to call a family meeting—and that it wouldn't be a pleasant one.

xXx

There were no sororities at Princeton University, but the house that Rosalie Hale lived in looked like it could have been one. A group of beautiful young women were lazing around the house's wrap-around porch. Each was dressed to the nines. These girls flaunted their wealth with incredible ease.

Bella tried her hardest not to feel frumpy. She was just as, if not more, wealthy than these girls. She chose not to mold her self into the image that these girls had sculpted for themselves. A part of her knew that she was feeling unsure of herself not just because of these girls, but because of the discussion she had just had with Edward. Her world seemed to be tilting on its axis and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could ignore it, though. Working on the case was the best way to do that.

Bella straightened her spine and marched up the porch stairs.

A blond girl looked her up and down with a sneer. "Hello. Can we help you with something?" The words were polite enough, but the tone was anything but.

Bella could hear this girl's disdain from her thoughts. She decided she wasn't going to deal with this bitch. She turned to a brunette who had an open, friendly mind. "I'm Bella Swan and I'm here to see Rosalie Hale. She's not expecting me, but I really need to talk to her. It's important."

The brunette frowned. "She's inside the house now. She's not been in the best mood, though. She's been through a lot lately."

The blond snorted. "Rosalie's been a real bitch lately, you mean. She needs to get over herself."

The girls sitting around her laughed nervously. The only one who didn't was the friendly brunette. "Ignore Lauren. I'm Angela, Rose's roommate. I'm not sure why you're here to see her, but maybe a visitor would pull her out of her funk, regardless if she feels up to it. I'll take you to see her. Come follow me." Angela stood up and gestured for Bella to follow her through the front door.

Before Bella stepped into the house she gave the chair that Lauren was sitting in a mental nudge. Bella was already in the house when she heard Lauren fall to onto the porch with a yelp. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her, but was able to contain herself when Angela flashed her a confused look.

Bella followed Angela up the stairs of the old, but pristine, home. They stopped at a door that had two names scrawled across the whiteboard hanging from it. "Angela" was written in plain black marker, while "Rosalie" had been carefully illustrated with precise, bubbly handwriting.

Angela shifted nervously. "Well, I'll leave you too it, I guess. Just . . . tread carefully with her. She's a bit sensitive."

Suddenly, the door swung open. A gorgeous blond girl stood in the doorway. She was dressed even more plainly than Bella. Her sweatpants and t-shirt did nothing to diminish her beauty, though. Every one of those pretty girls out on the porch looked like a cretin compared to this one.

Although the girl was beautiful, her first words to Bella were not. "Who the fuck are you?"

Bella recognized a kindred spirit and smiled. Angela looked horrified, though. "Rosalie! This is Bella Swan. She's here to visit you."

Rosalie turned to Bella and assessed her much in the way Lauren had outside. Unlike Lauren, though, Rosalie seemed to be impressed. "Finally, someone who doesn't look like a shallow bitch. Angela, you can go. I think Bella and I can handle ourselves."

Angela looked unsure. "Alright . . . but if you need anything, just give me a shout."

Rosalie nodded at her and then swept Bella into the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Rosalie gestured to the seat next to the desk in the room and sprawled her long-legged body across the bed. She pulled a box of cigarettes out from underneath her pillow. "Smoke?" she asked.

Bella sat in the chair and shook her head.

Rosalie put the cigarette to her lips. "Suit yourself." Then it appeared as if the cigarette lit itself.

Bella's eyes widened. "What the hell was that?"

Rosalie took a calm drag on her cigarette. "Self-lighting cigarette. It's a new thing."

Bella raised an eyebrow. First Alice Brandon had powers and now it appeared as if Rosalie Hale did, too. This was the connection between the victims that any good detective would be looking for. Bella figured that instead of fighting with Rosalie about whether or not she had just used some sort of secret ability to light her cigarette, she'd just lay her cards out on the table for Rosalie to see.

Bella floated the cigarette over to her with a flick of her hand. She pretended to look it over thoughtfully. "Hmmm . . . I don't see a self lighting mechanism in this."

Rosalie was staring at Bella with her mouth hanging open. She closed her mouth and fury filled her expression. "I already told you fucking people: I'm not joining your little group. I don't know who decided it was a good idea to send you, but it isn't."

Bella was confused, so she decided that a glimpse into Rosalie's mind would help to illuminate her. She could see that Rose was thinking of when a beautiful blond man had come to visit her as a child. The man had offered Rose the chance to come join him at a place that was filled with other children like her. He had powers too. He was a kind, gentle man, but she had refused to go with him. He came around every couple years to visit and she always gave him the same answer. Rosalie found his optimistic persistence to be annoying.

Bella was shocked when the man's name floated across Rosalie's mind. _Carlisle Cullen_. Edward's father.

"I'm not here on behalf of Carlisle Cullen. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I don't even like Carlisle Cullen—not that I've ever met him . . .Just his son, who is annoying as hell, by the way. Anyways, I'm not here to woo you to become a part of anything," Bella rushed to explain to Rosalie.

Rosalie stared at Bella as if she had two heads. "What the fuck? _What the fuck_? Did you, like, read my mind or something?"

Bella stared at her lap, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, you just weren't making any sense to me. I decided that reading your mind would help to clear things up. And it has. I'm not here about your powers, I'm here to find out who raped you."

Rosalie stiffened. "I don't want to talk about that, especially with someone who I don't even know, who wouldn't even understand."

"I understand more than you think. The same thing happened to me when I was younger. I got my revenge and now you can get yours." Bella did not mention that doubts that Alice Brandon had planted in her mind about whether or not Aro had killed the right man. Aro never did anything without careful research and consideration. The chances of him killing the wrong man were slim to none.

Rosalie eyes lightened at the mention of revenge, but then quickly dimmed. "How are you even going to be able to find him? None of the other victims can remember anything and I can't either."

"Well, I think I may have a couple of leads. You're not the only one who was that had powers. That can't be a coincidence. There's too few of us out there. Also, one of the other victims remembered smelling the guy before. Do you remember anything like that?"

The light returned to Rosalie's eyes. "Yes, yes I do. He smelled like mint and something else. Something fruity?"

"Could it have been apples?" Bella asked.

Rosalie jumped off her bed in excitement. "Yes," she exclaimed. "That's exactly it. Mint and apples." She shuddered. "No wonder I can't stomach chewing gum anymore—mint aversion. I've been smoking twice as much as I used to."

While Rosalie was talking, Bella was filled with a sense of dread. Both Alice and Rosalie had now said that the man smelled the same as the man who had attacked Bella. Maybe it was a copycat. Bella would have to go to Aro to ask for information on the man who had attacked her and her parents. It would be the only way to find out if there was any connection.

She didn't want to share this case with Aro, though. She was afraid that he would think her silly, trying to play the role of detective when she was much better suited to being a cat burglar. The thought of disappointing Aro did not sit well with her. Rarely was he ever disappointed in her, but when he was, he certainly let her know it. After everything he had done for her, she felt that the least she could do was live up to his standards.

Bella came out of her reverie when she heard Rosalie calling, "Earth to Bella!"

Bella jolted upright. "Huh?"

"I was saying that I want to work with you. I can be the Watson to your Sherlock."

Bella was not used to the idea of others wanting to associate with her, much less work with her. "Uh, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Rosalie wagged her finger at her. "It's a great fucking idea. In case you haven't noticed, I go to Princeton University. I'm pretty fucking smart. Also, I can do _this_." Flames erupted form her fingertips. After allowing the fire to blossom for a moment, she extinguished it. "A skill like that can only come in handy. Although God knows that I can't put it on my resume."

Bella could see how determined Rosalie was. The idea of investigating this seemed to have put a spark back into her. Bella couldn't take that away, not when she knew how hard it was to feel alive after something like that happened to a woman. She realized that she should consult Edward about it first, but she wasn't feeling all that charitable towards him at the moment.

"Okay," Bella agreed. "You can work with me. Maybe keep the fire fingers to a minimum, though. I don't want you scaring away any leads, Rosalie."

"Yes!" Rosalie cheered. "This is going to be so fucking great. Also, just call me Rose. Only the other bitches living in this house call me by my full name." She grinned. "I have the feeling you and I are going to be great friends."

Bella smiled back at her. She hadn't had a friend in so long. She could tell that this foul-mouthed girl was fast on the way to becoming one, though.


	8. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the reviews. I appreciate and read every single one of them.

Chapter Seven

Bella awoke the next day feeling ambivalent about the events of the day before. She felt pretty happy that she'd let Rose come aboard the investigation, although she did have a few reservations. The cause of her mixed feelings, though, was not Rose, but Edward. Everything that he had told her yesterday had thrown her for a loop.

Bella's first reaction to the shocking information had been anger, which was her go-to reaction for most things. She'd allowed herself to become a bitter, angry person over the last few years. Aro had taught her how to harness that feeling, but there was a part of Bella that yearned to let it go. That same part was ashamed at how she treated Edward. She may have made it seem that she blamed him for all the bad that had happened to her, but she truly didn't. She was just angry at the world and he was an easy target.

Underneath Bella' anger there was a deep sadness. Her father had known about her all along. She had felt betrayed initially, but not she just felt sorrow. He knew the danger of trying to raise her as a normal girl, yet he had done it anyways. He had done it for her. Her heart hurt with love for her father.

Her heart also hurt for Edward. His admission of having feelings for her was shocking. She may have called him a pedophile the day before, but she knew he was nothing like that. He had never shown any sort of romantic feelings for her as a child. Now, though, those feelings had become clear as day. Bella felt a pull, an attraction towards him in return. She'd never be able to act on it, though. Her body was a traitor; it shied away from any kind of intimate contact. Edward had no idea why, had no idea she'd been raped. She planned to keep it that way.

Bella had a decision in front of her. She could either keep pushing Edward away or she could let him in—maybe not as a lover, but as a friend. She would have to lay down a few ground rules first, though. She was still mad at Edward's high handedness towards her when she was young. That would have to be nipped in the bud before she could ever let him closer.

Bella decided that now was not the time to make a decision about Edward. She needed to focus on this case. She decided to check her email and found that there was one from Aro.

To: beswan

From: avolturi

Subject: Garden Party on Maple Lane

_Dear Bella,_

_There is a garden party on 12 Maple Lane in Princeton today that I think you may be interested in attending. The hosts have the same interest in jewelry that you do. I'm sure you can compare tastes with them. _

_It would warm my heart if you would attend this party. I would really like to see you get out more, dear. _

_Best wishes,_

_Aro_

Bella chuckled to herself. Aro always found a way of sending her creative emails when he wanted her to steal something. He did not want to leave any kind of trail for the government to sniff out, so he always wrote their emails in code. She knew he was being serious when he said that she should get out more, though.

She looked at her platinum Tiffany watch. She might not have had any love of fancy clothes, but Aro was right in saying that she did have an interest in jewelry. This watch had belonged to the heiress that she'd stolen a diamond necklace from on her first heist. Aro had let her keep it as a prize. Sometimes she kept little tokens without asking him. She had a Picasso hanging in her living room in her apartment that had elicited merely an eyebrow raise from him when he'd come by to visit last year. She was a bit nervous about his reaction, but, of course, he was as blasé as ever. Thinking back on it, she really didn't know why she'd been so nervous about telling him about stealing from Mike Newton the other day.

Bella saw that the time on her watch said it was a little passed 10:00am. It was the perfect time to do the heist. No one would be home. Sometimes Bella had to do it when the owner's were home, though. She'd need the owners' cooperation if they kept their valuables in a safe. Aro hadn't specified that these people did, so she felt that now was the right time to go.

Bella didn't dress in all black. That would be too cliché. Also, it wasn't nighttime and she didn't need to blend in with the darkness. Instead, she would need to look inconspicuous in the light. If anyone took notice of her, she could always used her mind control on them, but it wasn't something she liked to do. It was one of Edward's teachings that never truly left her. She put on a brightly colored sundress and headed out.

She opened the door to her car and got in with a deep breath. Getting a chance to steal something was usually cause for celebration, but today she felt as if she was going through the motions.

"Ah, going on a heist, I see." The voice startled her and she nearly hit her head on the wheel.

She turned to see Edward sitting in her passenger seat, a placid smile on his face. She glared at him.

Edward's smile widened. "You should really lock your car doors," he scolded teasingly.

Bella snorted. "Would that really keep you out?"

Edward gave a small shrug. "Probably not."

Bella may not have been excited about the heist, but she was excited to see Edward. She wanted to hide it from him, but she couldn't, not with their minds connected the way they were. She took comfort in the fact that he was excited to see her, too. She was still mad at him, though.

_Don't you have any boundaries?_ she asked him mentally.

Edward shook his head. "Nope!"

Bella was a little taken aback by the fact he hadn't responded to her through his thoughts. "No telepathy today? It's not surprising that you would be feeling a bit private. I understand that you have a lot of secrets to keep," she said to him, tone as patronizing as she could make it.

Edward winced playfully. "No more secrets, remember? Sure, there are still things that you I have to tell you, but you're not quite ready to ask about them yet. I can tell you why I'm not using my telepathy, though. I've decided to stop pushing you . . . mentally that is. I want you to get to know me and me to get to know you, without the powers and tricks. It's been a decade since we knew each other. I think we both think things about one another that aren't completely true."

Bella faked a smile. "Like the fact that you think we're soul mates?" she asked, sweet as pie.

Edward continued on as if she'd never spoken. "Let's learn about each other. No judgment. I hope, too, that one day you'll come to forgive me. I cannot apologize enough for all the things that have happened to you in my absence."

Bella's expression became serious. "It's not really you that I haven't forgiven, Edward. It's the world . . . although I'm still pretty pissed at you, too. It would probably be best if we weren't in each other's lives. My anger isn't good for either one of us."

Edward reached across and gently touched her hand. His thumb stroked over the back of her hand once, twice. "I was angry at the world once, too, Bella. I took it out on those who loved me the most. When I finally opened up to their love . . . it healed me."

Bella pulled her hand gently out from under his. It wasn't a rejection, although Edward had no way of knowing that. She was simply too overwhelmed—both by his words and his touch. She could only deal with one at a time.

"You can't love me, Edward," she told him softly. "Maybe we can be friends, though. Just friends. I think my dad would have wanted that. As mad as I may be feeling towards him right now, I want to do something to honor his and my mother's memory."

"You can do that by not stealing," Edward retorted.

Bella could feel the anger that was her constant companion rising within her. "I'm not giving that up. It's the only thing that makes me happy. Besides, I thought you said no judgments?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "If we're going to be friends, then don't I get to at least express my worries about behavior I consider to be troublesome?"

"You don't." An idea clicked within Bella. It was too good, a way to get a bit of revenge on Edward. After all, he had kept so much from her as a child. She couldn't have him thinking that he was totally forgiven—because he wasn't. "In fact, if you're so gung-ho about us getting to know one another without judgments, why don't you come with me today?"

"Come with you on a heist?" Edward clarified, clearly appalled at the idea.

Bella smirked and nodded at him, knowing he would back out. As much as she wanted to pull him towards her, she also wanted to push him away. This would be the deciding moment for their relationship. It was an offer she knew he wouldn't accept. His morals would demand nothing less of him. It was an easy out for Bella. Once he rejected the offer, she would have her excuse to hold him at arm's length.

Bella was shocked when the next words out of his mouth were, "Okay. I'll do it."

"What?"

Edward chuckled. "I said that I'll do it."

Just when she thought that she had the upper hand, Edward had taken it back, just as he had always done when she was a child. She felt like a mouse caught in his trap. He had known what she was doing and would not let her push him away. It threw Bella off balance.

Silently, she turned the car on. "Ready?" she asked, voice hushed.

"Yes," Edward responded, equally as quiet.

Before they pulled away, Bella decided that she could get one more jab in at him, as childish as it may be. She wouldn't totally regain her advantage, but at least she'd feel a bit better about herself.

"So, I talked to Rosalie Hale yesterday. She can shoot fire out of her fingers. Also, she'll be joining us on the investigation. I figured you wouldn't mind."

xXx

Edward did mind, very much so, and complained to Bella for the entire ride to the house she was casing on Maple Street. When she pulled up, she turned to him with a fierce glare.

"Will you be quiet already?" she snapped. "What's done is done. Rosalie Hale will be helping us."

Edward crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine. I just wish that you'd have consulted with me first. I'm just not sure a woman in her condition should be joining the investigation to go after her rapist."

Bella resisted the urge to smack him. "That's exactly why she should be on the case! It will give her the closure that she needs. You didn't see her, Edward. There's a fire within her—both literally and figuratively. Doing this well help her and it will help us."

Edward's eyes softened and he looked at her affectionately. "I see your point, Bella. You did the right thing. You're not a child anymore. You don't need my permission to do anything."

"Damn right I don't. You better remember that, buddy. Now come on, lets go steal some fucking jewelry."

Edward grimaced. "Oh joy," he said, voice lacking any excitement.

They made their way into the large home, Edward giving Bella a disapproving frown as she used her telekinesis to pop the door open. Despite his apparent misgivings, Edward made a beeline for the couch and made himself at home. He picked up a pile of what appeared to be mail and started flipping through it.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

Edward stared intently at a bill and then floated it over to the coffee table. "Keeping myself entertained while you go do your thing."

"You're invading these people's privacy!"

Edward barked out a laugh. "Really? You're going to be the one stealing from them, yet you complain about me going through their mail?"

Bella didn't have a response, so she decided to ignore him. She made her way further into the house and found the master bedroom—it was the most common place that people kept their jewelry.

Aro hadn't told Bella what she was meant to steal, but he never did. He always made her guess and she was almost always right. It was his way of training her to recognize what was valuable and what wasn't.

Her eyes landed on a necklace. This was what Aro wanted her to steal. It was clearly antique and made up almost entirely of diamonds.

Bella took it and walked back out to the living room to find Edward sitting there, staring pale-faced at a piece of mail.

"Edward? What is it?"

He sent the piece of mail over to her with a flick of his wrist. Bella picked it up and saw that it was a letter. She began to read it . . .

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bradley,_

_The Cullen Foundation would like to thank you for your generous—_

Bella stopped reading. "The Cullen Foundation."

"That would be my father's foundation. That money is used to fund the pupils that we get living at the house."

"So, what about it has you so shocked?"

Edward stood up and came to stand in front of her. He spoke slowly and calmly, but he was clearly anything but.

"Bella, have you ever considered that maybe Aro had you come to this house for reasons other than stealing? Maybe he had you break into this house, and other houses, because they were connected to my family."

Bella took a deep breath before speaking. "And why would he be so interested in harming your family?"

"Because, once upon a time, Aro Volturi was a part of my family."


	9. Chapter Eight

Author's Note: This chapter provides a lot of answers. It's a bit of an info-dump. I hope you guys are ready for it. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Chapter Eight

Bella opened her mouth. Then she closed it . . . only to open it again. Finally, she regained her grasp on basic human speech.

"What?" she gasped out.

Edward gave a chuckle, but there was little joy in it. "I'm related to Aro Volturi. That's why when I've told you he's up to no good, I know what I'm talking about."

Bella gave him a scrutinizing look. "When you say related, do you mean he's your cousin or brother or something?"

Edward flopped back on the couch. He mumbled something she couldn't hear.

"Speak up," Bella commanded.

Edward groaned. "I said, 'He's my father.'"

Bella's brow furrowed. "I thought Carlisle was your father."

"He is, but just not my biological one."

"Then, how . . . ?"

Edward shook his head. "That's not entirely my story to tell."

Bella swallowed back a groan. "You just told me before that you were going to try to be honest with me. Well, here's your chance. Tell me what you can tell me. Tell me how Aro could be your father. Tell me why he didn't raise you. Tell me what you really are. I don't care if I'm not ready for those answers. I need to know them. I'm tired of people hiding information from me."

Edward huffed out a breath. "You're right. I'll tell you as much as I can. I'm not going to do it here, though. I don't want the owners of this fine home to interrupt our conversation."

Bella nodded her agreement. "Fine, let's go back to my place." She figured that she'd feel less off balance in her own home. With a casual flick of her wrist she placed the necklace she'd stolen in her dress pocket.

Edward, just as casually, floated the necklace from her pocket and into his hand. "You aren't seriously going to take this with you?" he asked.

Bella mentally plucked it out of his hand. "Yes, I am. You don't have any proof that Aro is making me steal from people that donate to your family's little foundation. All you have are your suspicions. Until you can prove anything to me, I'll keep on doing what I do best."

Edward went to take the necklace back again, but Bella used her powers to block him before he could. He grinned at her. "I see your powers have flourished over the years. I could still take that from you pretty easily, but we have more urgent matters to attend to."

With that, they both exited the house and headed off to have a conversation that neither of them were quite ready for.

xXx

Edward was fiddling with each and every trinket in Bella's apartment and it was driving her insane. She'd asked him to have a seat multiple times, but he was still going from object to object, treating each one as if it were more precious and fascinating than the last.

She decided to broach their mental connection in order to finally get through to him. _Edward_, she reprimanded him.

He turned towards her with a sheepish smile. In his hand he held a picture of Bella with her parents. Aro's men had gone back and gotten it for after she'd gone to live with him. She was a gangly fifteen-year-old girl in that photo and it was taken the Halloween before her parents died. They had dragged her to a costume party and she'd decided to go as Batgirl. As much as she'd been angry with Edward at the time, she still couldn't fully let him go.

Now, Bella could feel from his mind how much affection he had for her and how much regret he had for leaving her. He stared at her with shining eyes.

When he was finally able to say something to her, it was with his mind_. You can't imagine, Bella, how many regrets I have. I have lived for many years, but almost all of my regrets come from my most recent ones. _

Bella came over and poked Edward in the chest. "Here's the perfect example of something that you can tell me. How old are you, Edward?" It was a question that she truly wanted him to answer, but she also knew that it would steer their conversation away from the topic of—_shudder_—feelings.

Edward grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. Bella allowed it, but only because it felt (really, really, _really_) nice. She wasn't so happy that he continued to only speak to her with his mind. That didn't mean that she was going to close their connection, even if she could truly close it. She enjoyed the feeling of having his mind being a small part of hers too much. It made her yearn just a bit to know what it would be like if their minds were one.

The words that floated into her mind jerked her out of her thoughts.

_That's a simple question with a complicated answer. When I was human, I lived to be about 20 years old. I've been what I am now for much longer than that—for more years than even I can count. We didn't keep track of time that well back in my day. _

Bella wasn't quite sure how to handle that. She used her thoughts to show him her confusion and also the mental picture of him that she'd always had of him as a guardian angel.

Edward squeezed her hand gently and shook his head. _I'm no guardian angel, but I do protect humans. In fact, that's what we call ourselves: Protectors. We were all once humans like you, humans who had extraordinary powers. Then, we are turned through one of two ways. We either gave up our life for another or we . . ._

_Or you what?_

_Or we mated to someone who was already a Protector_. Edward's thought was firm, confident. He was clearly thinking about her when mentioning mating. Bella didn't like it one bit.

_So which one did you do?_

_I protected a beggar at a market from being speared through with a sword. I lost my life in doing so. I hadn't planned on ever being a Protector, but nothing ever truly goes according to plan. _

Bella receded from their mental link. Even though it brought her much pleasure, she couldn't concentrate when she had both of their thoughts flowing through her mind. She could hardly imagine what it would be like if she allowed their minds to fully enmesh themselves in one another.

She ignored Edward's frown and continued their conversation. "I'm not quite sure I get it. You, 'Batman', did not want to become a Protector. Lame name, by the way."

She could feel Edward along the edges of her mind, but he wasn't pushing, just as he had promised. She still didn't let him in, though.

His frown deepened. "I have had two fathers throughout my life. One is Aro and the other is Carlisle. They're brothers. Aro raised me during my human life and Carlisle raised me when I became what I am now."

Bella arched an eyebrow at him. "You know that you're going to have to give me more details than that. A whole hell of a lot more."

Edward stroked his thumb over her fingers, as if seeking comfort. "Remember how I told you that it's not entirely my story to tell? Well, it would be my mother, Esme's, right to tell you. I will tell you the parts that do not belong solely to her, though. I will need to start at the very beginning."

Bella swept out her free hand in a dramatic gesture. "Go ahead. Get your Shakespeare on."

"Aro and Carlisle were both the first of their kind. They were normal humans born with extraordinary powers. Aro could—and still can—read every single thought a person had ever had with just a touch. Carlisle could heal almost any injury. Both had a different view of the world, though. Carlisle believed that their powers were meant to protect human kind, even those who might not deserve to be protected. Aro believed that their powers could help to serve justice. He believed that they could hunt down the scum of the Earth and wipe them off the face of the planet.

"Even though they fundamentally disagreed, they still loved and respected each other very much. One day, Carlisle found a man trying to beat a woman to death. He tried to stop him, but the man overpowered him. Carlisle died and Aro mourned him. He sought out revenge and killed the man. Aro turned into something else afterwards. He was faster and stronger than any human, with far better senses to boot. His own powers had been amplified. He did not age and diseases could not harm him. His newfound mortality came with a price, though. He had an urge to kill. He sought to control it, though. He decided if he had to kill, it would only be people who deserved it. As the years went by, he began to lead a group of people like himself. They called themselves Justice Seekers, which probably sounds lame to you now, but sounded much more intimidating in its original language.

"Meanwhile, Carlisle had also changed into something new. He had the same newfound abilities and immortalities that Aro did. His powers came with a catch as well: he instinctively knew that if he ever dared to kill someone, no matter who, that something very, very bad would happen. He would eventually find out throughout the years that if a Protector were to kill someone, then they would become a Justice Seeker. Anyways . . . Carlisle left his family and life the moment he found out what he was. He spent years thinking that he was an abomination.

"About a hundred years after the day Carlisle was killed, Aro and Carlisle sensed each other, as our kind are able to do. Both were overjoyed to find the other still alive. The small group of Justice Seekers and Protectors that Carlisle and Aro had amassed over the century they were apart began to work together under their dual leadership. Although there was tension between the two groups, they worked well together. The Protectors were able to help and heal the weakest among humans, while the Justice Seekers hunted down the most malicious.

"They functioned this way for almost a thousand years. Then Carlisle and Aro met Esme. She was a healer of the mind and a Protector. Both men were smitten with her. It is impossible not to love her. There is a light that radiates from her, an innate goodness. Aro and Carlisle began to compete for her affections. She fell for Carlisle, but had a brotherly affection for Aro. Aro seemed as if he had accepted defeat gracefully and ceded the position of Esme's mate to Carlisle.

"For decades, Esme and Carlisle tried to conceive a child. They knew that there was an incredibly high infertility rate amongst Protectors, but decided to try anyway. Unfortunately, their efforts were for wont. Justice Seekers could have children, though. In fact, it had been proven that they could even have children with Protectors. Two Justice Seekers mating sometimes resulted in a normal human child and sometimes a human child with powers, while a Justice Seeker and a Protector's mating always resulted in a human child with powers. Aro stepped in and offered to impregnate Esme. There were no sperm donors or invitro fertilization at the time. Although they were reluctant, both Carlisle and Esme were desperate for a child. It ultimately came down to Esme, who agreed to do it.

"Aro was able to get her pregnant. When she had me, Aro and his men stormed Carlisle and Esme's home and killed everyone within it, save for Carlisle and Esme. His men found out the hard way that when a Justice Seeker kills a Protector that they, too, will die. Aro managed to sneak me out of the house with him. He sent Carlisle and Esme message after message, demanding that she come live with him as his mate. Apparently, he had never gotten over the fact that she had rejected him. Esme couldn't leave Carlisle even if she wanted to. Both Justice Seekers and Protectors can only mate once. They looked for me, scoured the entire Earth. They were never able to find me.

"Aro raised me to believe that there was only one path, that I would one day be a Justice Seeker. He wanted to turn me against the Protectors, and Carlisle. Esme he never said a word against, though. It was so strange to me. With the powers that I had, I knew that everything he was telling me didn't ring entirely true. I found out how wrong he was when I became a Protector. I sought out Carlisle and Esme, and saw how much of my childhood had been a lie. Carlisle saved me from the worst parts of myself and taught me how to use my powers the right way."

Edward paused and looked at Bella. "So, that's kind of the whole story. You'll have to ask Esme for more details someday. So . . . what do you think?"

Bella snatched her hand bank from him and gave him an inscrutable look. "First of all, I think that's more than I've ever heard you speak. Second of all," she said with a tap of her watch, "I have to meet Rosalie Hale in twenty minutes. You can come with me if you want."

Edward's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "I just gave you all the information you've been asking me for and _that's_ your reaction."

Bella snorted at him, amused. "In case you haven't noticed, I need time to process information. Right now, I need to do something or I'm going to have a mental breakdown. I can't deal with everything you just told me. I'm not built that way."

Edward pinched his nose. "Alright, but I do need you to say something eventually. Right now, I'll go with you to meet the fiery Rosalie Hale."

"Ha ha. How punny of you."

xXx

Twenty minutes later they pulled up to the sidewalk of a pizza parlor in Bella's car. As they got out, Bella turned to him and glared.

"I don't want you telling Rosalie any of that information that you just told me. If I didn't take it well, I can guarantee you that she's really not going to take it well."

Edward stared steadily back at her. "Why would you think I would tell Rosalie Hale something that it took years for me to tell you?"

"Good point."

With that, they entered the pizza parlor. Inside they found Rosalie seated at a table with a girl that had short, spikey black hair.

"Alice," Bella breathed out. She dragged Edward along and marched up to the table.

Rosalie stood up and gave Bella a fierce hug. "Oh thank God you're here. This little freak keeps insisting that she needs to be here for our meeting. She also keeps telling me that I shouldn't wear pink tomorrow."

Alice chimed in. "But you _really_ shouldn't wear pink tomorrow."

Bella released herself from Rosalie's death grip. "This is Alice Brandon, Rose. She . . . had the same thing happen to her."

Rosalie turned to Alice with a glare. "Don't think that makes us bosom buddies or something."

Alice smiled serenely. "But we will be! You, me and Bella. All great friends. All on the hunt for the man who harmed the three of us."

Rosalie gaped and looked at Bella with horror. "You didn't tell me that we were raped by the same man. Why wouldn't you tell me that?"

Alice gasped and looked over Bella's shoulder. "Oh dear. This was not the path I meant to take."

Bella turned around and got a look at what had Alice panicking.

Edward was frozen, his expression entirely devoid of emotion. Bella only had one thought.

_Uh oh_.


	10. Chapter Nine

Author's Note: I decided to update early instead of leaving you guys hanging. It's also a present for being some of the most insightful readers out there! The next update will probably be Tuesday next week, but could be earlier.

Chapter Nine

Bella, Alice and Rosalie were all staring at Edward. His statue-still appearance was freaking all of them out.

"Shit, Alice," Bella hissed. "Why'd you have to say that to him? I don't even know if it's fucking true that it's the same guy."

"It is," Alice insisted. "I can't see him, but I can see that it's the same guy. It's the thread that ties us all together."

Rosalie snorted. "You are so fucking crazy. Who even speaks like that? You belong in a loony bin."

Alice nonchalantly studied her nails. "I was in one until a few hours ago."

"Oh yeah? How'd you get out?"

Alice shrugged. "I left."

"You left," Rosalie repeated slowly. "Why do I get the feeling it wasn't with the permission of your doctor?"

Bella ignored Alice and Rosalie's bickering and focused her attention on Edward. She tapped into their psychic bond, but it was like no one was home.

She huffed out a breath. "Excuse me, ladies. I have to go take my friend here outside. You two have fun arguing."

Rose waved her off. "Whatever. Let us know if you need help snapping your hot comatose boyfriend out of it."

"He's not my boyfriend," she muttered, toting Edward out the door of the pizzeria.

Once they were outside, Bella tried to jar Edward into awareness with a mental shove. Nothing. She tried it a few more times and still had no luck. It seemed that she was going to have to try out the old fashioned way.

She gave him a hard smack across the face.

Edward gasped and put a hand to his cheek. "Ouch. What was that for? It actually hurt a little bit. You're strong for a human."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You were non responsive. I got you to respond. The end."

Recognition lit up Edward's eyes and his face turned into a mask of sorrow. "Bella . . . " he trailed off, voice brimming with emotion.

She shook her head. "Don't, Edward. Please don't."

Edward reached out to touch her and then snatched his hand back. "I didn't know, Bella. All these years and I never knew that happened to you. If I'd known I would have never been so forward. Every part of me aches to touch you, but I would have resisted. You must think me a monster. I've touched you so many times without invitation and for that I am truly sorry."

Bella took a calming breath before responding. "You didn't know because I didn't want you to know. I don't want you or anyone treating me any differently. If I didn't want you touching me, I would tell you. I don't want you treating me like some fragile doll. Truth is, I like it when you touch me. I don't think I'll ever be able to let you touch me in _that_ way, but the way you've been touching me is fine. More than fine. So, stop kicking yourself."

Edward pinched his nose. "I just . . . I can't," he stammered. His eyes filled with tears, as he appeared to piece something together. "It was the night your parents were murdered, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Bella replied. "And before you can say it, don't even bother. There wasn't anything you or anyone could have done to stop it."

Edward shook his head. "I wish I had been there to stop it. I wish even more, though, that I had been there for you afterwards. I can't imagine Aro was very comforting."

"He was comforting in his own way. He hunted down and killed the man that did it to me. I guess Justice Seeker really is an appropriate name for what he is."

Edward's brow furrowed. "But Alice said that it was the same man that attacked her and Rosalie. Obviously, Aro didn't catch the culprit."

Bella made sure to mask her emotions. "I'm not one hundred percent sure it's the same guy. Aro showed me how the man who did it died; he even showed me the man's memoires of what he did. Not all of it, but just enough so I would know who it was."

"Aro can be very deceptive. He knows how to use his powers to his advantage."

"He'd have to be pretty effing deceptive to pull this off. The only common lead between me, Alice and Rosalie is the guy's scent . . . and the memory loss, too, I guess."

Edward's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The guy's scent, huh? Humans with powers usually tend to have a pretty strong sense of smell. I really don't think this is a coincidence, Bella."

Bella scraped a hand over her face. "I don't know. I'm going to have to talk to Aro about it. He might be pissed that I didn't tell him about the investigation."

Edward looked at his feet, clearly reluctant to tell her something. "He already knows. He paid me a visit after we got coffee the other day. He seemed to find it supremely amusing that you were investigating this."

"Oh yeah?"

"'Yeah'? You've been living in New Jersey for too long. But yes, he even tried to get me to bet on it."

"That sounds like Aro. He always loves a good bet."

Edward looked at her, appalled. "How can you be so calm about this? This is your life that he's betting on. He may have lied to you about killing that man. And you can't forget about everything that I told you that he did earlier. Don't you feel the least bit upset?"

Bella schooled her features into a blank expression. "I'm not sure who to be angry at right now. I'm not sure who to trust. I need to hear Aro's side of things. I owe him that. He's the only person who's been there for me these past few years."

"And don't you think that a bit odd?" Edward retorted. "Perhaps he made it so that you were put into that position, hmmm? I spent six years trying to find you, only to find red tape at every turn."

"Aro was trying to protect me," Bella insisted. "There are too many people who would do bad things to me if they were to find me." She could feel how hollow the words Aro so often said to her sounded to her own ears.

"Or maybe he was trying to keep you to himself."

Part of Bella knew that what Edward was saying rang true, but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it. "I need to talk to Aro before making any accusations," she reaffirmed.

Edward looked upward, as if praying to the heavens. "Fine, okay. I'll drop it for now. Know this, though: if the man who did that to you _is_ still out there, he has a world of suffering coming to him."

"I thought you Protectors weren't into harming people?"

"For you, Bella, I would break all the rules."

His sincerity made her uncomfortable. "I don't need you to do that. I'm perfectly fine taking care of myself."

Edward reached out to stroke her face after a brief hesitation. He obviously wasn't sure if it was okay to touch her, but trusted her to let him know if it wasn't. She neither pushed his hand away nor leaned into it. She wanted him to know that she appreciated his touch, but that it could never be anything more.

After a few more strokes, he dropped his hand and responded to her assertion. "I know that you can take care of yourself, darling. Sometimes taking care of yourself means leaning on others."

Bella toed the pavement with her shoe. She was reminded of when she was a little girl and Edward would try to instill some of his wisdom in her. Thinking of the past made her uncomfortable, so she did what she always did when feeling that way: she cracked a joke.

"I didn't realize that allowing you to hunt down a rapist classifies as 'leaning on others.'"

Edward chuckled lowly. "In our world it most certainly can." He nodded his head towards the inside of the pizza parlor. "We should probably get back in before Rosalie sets Alice on fire."

Bella barked out a laugh. Edward could be funny. She'd forgotten that and it was something that she missed. There wasn't much room for humor in her life.

"Fire prevention is always key. Let's head in."

Before she could open the door Edward stopped her by laying a gentle hand on her arm. "Before we go in I just want you to know . . . I don't think any less of you after what I just found out. In fact, I only think more of you. You're a survivor, Bella."

Bella quietly nodded and made her way into the pizzeria.

xXx

Rosalie was still sniping away at Alice, but a quick glance into Rose's thoughts showed that she actually _liked_ the tiny woman. Bella guessed that she had a funny way of showing affection—much like herself.

"Sorry about Edward's little non-outburst," Bella apologized. "Let me introduce everyone. Edward Cullen, this is Rosalie Hale and Alice Brandon."

"Call me Rose," Rosalie—_Rose_—responded. She paused. "Wait. Edward Cullen. As in Carlisle Cullen's son? The one you said you knew, Bella? You didn't tell me he was so hot, Bella. Looks a bit too young to be Carlisle's son, though."

"Carlisle has good genes," Edward replied smoothly. He probably had to use that lie a lot, Bella figured.

Rose looked him over from head to toe. "I'd say."

Bella could feel a hot jealousy rising up in her. She couldn't control it. The pizza slice that Alice was taking dainty bites from flew out of her hands and into her lap.

"Look at what you did, Rose! These are designer jeans!" Alice exclaimed, tone indignant.

"What I did? That was clearly all Bella."

"Yes, but Edward belongs to Bella. You shouldn't say things like that." Alice pouted while trying to scrape sauce and cheese off her jeans.

Alice's words immediately cooled Bella down. Before Bella could respond, she felt Edward's mental presence.

_Alice is right. I do belong to you. You have no reason to be jealous of Rosalie Hale. She's beautiful to me like a forest or the ocean. She's merely part of the scenery. You, though, are so beautiful that it hurts me. _

Bella felt a different kind of fire rise in her, but didn't acknowledge that feeling or Edward's words.

"Okay, down to business," she said. "First things first. Alice, I'm going to need an explanation of how you got here and why you're here."

Alice, who had been gazing mournfully at her oil-stained jeans, looked up at Bella. "I had a parting of the ways with the fine doctors at the Princeton House. They wanted to have me permanently committed and declared mentally incompetent. I don't think one of the doctors liked it when I told him the exact manner in which his wife would discover the affair he was having. He especially didn't like it when what I said came to pass, so he tried to get a little revenge on me. I decided then that it was my time to leave. It's pretty easy to form an escape plan when you have the insight that I do."

"Insight?" Rose asked.

"Alice is a seer of sorts," Bella explained.

Alice nodded. "And you all could use my talents. This path, the one where I help you, is the one that I can see ending best."

"Oh, and how's that?"

"Well, I can't see how it ends, which is much improved from the ones that I see ending badly!"

Edward chimed in. "So, what you're saying is, is that you have no idea what is going to happen now, but it has to be better than what you've seen?"

Alice clapped her hands and smiled. "Finally! I'm so glad that someone gets it. You're going to make a great brother in law."

Edward looked a bit frightened. "What?"

Alice giggled. "Oops. I keep forgetting not to live in the future. It's almost as inadvisable as living in the past! But please do tell your brother, Jasper, to pay me a visit, since Bella apparently forgot to do so." She gave Bella a mock glare.

Bella shrugged. "I didn't even know Jasper was Edward's brother until you said it just now." She realized something and broached her connection with Edward. _Wait, if Carlisle and Esme can't have kids, then how is Jasper your brother?_

_He's adopted. A fact that I like to remind him of as often as possible. _

Edward cleared his through, grabbing everyone's attention. "It seems that we've strayed a bit off topic, although I will pass on your request, Alice. We need to stay more focused from here on out. Our most important matter of business is Jessica Stanley, the last victim who needs to be interviewed."

"I'll do it," Bella volunteered.

Alice shook her head. "All three of us girls will do it. That's the only way she'll open up. No offense, Edward."

"None taken."

"I can go tomorrow afternoon," Rose said. "I have class in the morning."

"That would work for me as well," Bella agreed. "Alice?"

"Me, too. Tomorrow afternoon it is. I'll text you both the time and place."

"But you don't even have my phone number," Rose argued.

Alice merely tapped her forehead in response.

Edward clapped his hands together. "Now that that's settled, how about some pizza?"

Ten minutes later, they sat around the table, eating pizza and chatting quietly. Bella was surprised by how content she was. She knew that she had bigger issues to think about. Eventually, she would have to talk to Edward about everything he had told her today. She would also have to confront Aro about what she had learned as well.

Neither of those were things that she was looking forward to, but she couldn't help but to be perfectly happy in that moment. Sitting in this group that many would label a ragtag gang of freaks, she'd never have more fun.

Edward was grinning at Rose and Alice's snarky banter. She could see that he was happy, too. A smile began to form on her face. It was one without any of the bitterness that she'd been holding onto these last few years.

The hard stuff would come tomorrow. Today, she was going to let herself be content.


	11. Chapter Ten

Author's Note: Sorry this is late, guys. I wanted to make sure that I got this chapter right. Thanks to everyone for the reviews and encouraging words! They really do provide inspiration.

Chapter Ten

Bella's seventeenth and eighteenth birthday presents from Aro far surpassed the dresses and jewels he'd bought her for her past few birthdays. On her seventeenth birthday he gave her closure and on her eighteenth he gave her a purpose.

For the first year that Bella lived with Aro, she never truly felt safe. She knew that she should feel protected, though. Aro's New York City townhouse housed some of the most powerful individuals in the world. James had the ability to track just about anyone, as well as having a minor talent for telepathy. Alec could cause a person to lose control of their senses. His twin, Jane, seemed to be able to cause almost anyone pain with just a glance. None of their powers appeared to work on Bella, much to Aro's delight and Jane's anger.

Living with these powerful individuals didn't give Bella any reason to feel safe—not with the man who had killed her parents and raped her still out there. She would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, never able to remember her nightmare, but knowing it had to do with the missing piece of her memory from that fateful night. Aro would always come rushing in and, over time, she would let him rub her head and say soothing things to her. His touch reminded her of her mother and father's. Aro was beginning to feel like family.

Bella didn't truly accept him as family until the day of her seventeenth birthday. He'd told her he had a special gift for her at breakfast that morning.

"I want you to enter my mind. I have something to show you," he said. It was a request he'd never made before.

"Sure," she responded with a shrug, shoveling a fork full of Aro's homemade chocolate chip pancakes into her mouth. Aro had a cook, but he'd insisted on doing all the food preparation himself for her birthday.

Aro gestured for her to proceed. Bella entered his mind and found herself in what appeared to be a memory. In this memory, Aro was questioning a dreadlocked man. The man spoke in what Bella thought to be rapid French. Aro's thoughts told her that the man was proclaiming his innocence. Aro touched the man and delved into the man's memories. Quickly, Aro found what he was looking for.

He was looking through the dreadlocked man's eyes as he slit Bella's parents throats. Then Bella came in and he grabbed her and—

Bella jumped out of Aro's mind. "Stop," she hoarsely commanded. "Why would you show me this? On my birthday of all days?"

Aro pursed his lips, as if displeased by her reaction. "Don't you see, Isabella? I found him. The man that did it. Don't you want to know what happened to him?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I don't want to see that. Just tell me that he's dead now."

Aro smiled at her. "I killed him myself. He won't hurt anyone anymore, dear. You can rest easier now."

Bella knew that she shouldn't feel relieved about anyone's death, but she did. She wondered what her Batman would have thought of that, but then quickly dismissed the thought. He'd abandoned her long ago. Aro was her family now. He'd spent the past year looking for the man who'd harmed her and her parents. He'd fulfilled his promise.

Bella turned to Aro and managed a smile. "Thank you. I think I might be better able to let go of my grief and fear now. I know I haven't really been training like I said I would, but I want to now. It's time I start letting you teach me. I don't ever want to be defenseless again."

Aro had agreed and they'd spent the next year training. He taught her how to use her anger to bolster her powers. He told her that her shield was perfect, but that her telepathy and telekinesis needed work. Mostly, though, she needed to learn proper mind control. It was something that Batman had always avoided teaching her.

During that year, Aro had discovered her penchant for theft. Bella knew from his thoughts that she'd aroused his suspicions, but he never caught her until she tried stealing a necklace from Jane's room.

She had been trying to float the necklace out into the hallway when Aro's voice interrupted her concentration.

"Ah, I see you've discovered quite the hobby."

The necklace clattered to the floor. Bella turned to Aro, but kept her gaze trained on the ground. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I just can't help myself." She was ashamed. Surely, Aro would kick her out for this.

He surprised her by chuckling. "Oh, dear. You seem to think that I'm displeased with you. That's not the case at all. I'm glad that you're letting your instincts guide you."

Bella stared at him in confusion. "But I was stealing. People aren't just supposed to take things from each other." It was almost an exact echo of her Batman's words. His deeply ingrained lessons were almost impossible to shake.

Aro softly clucked his tongue. "But, why were you stealing from Jane?"

"She tried to use her powers on me today," she told him. "It didn't work, but I thought that she needed to learn her lesson. That, and I really liked the necklace."

Aro rubbed his chin. "That sounds like you were dispensing justice to me. She wronged you and you punished her for it. _Justice_. And it's okay to benefit from doling it out. Those who don't are fools."

"But—"

"No buts. Let me ask you something: did it make you feel good?"

The corners of Bella's lips curled upwards. "It did. I would have felt even better if I'd completed my heist successfully, though."

Aro nodded. "I think that I may have found your passion. How would you feel about learning to become a cat burglar?" he asked, tone as casual as if he were asking her about the weather.

She scrutinized him. "It would depend on who I'm stealing from."

"It would be from people who make money in the most rotten of ways. Stealing from them would be the first part of a message I would send them about what I think of their actions."

Bella cocked her head. "And what would stealing from them say?"

"That there's nowhere they can hide form me—not even their own home. Also, we'd get to benefit financially."

Bella smirked. "Yes, because God knows that the one thing you need more of is money."

"The money wouldn't be for me, dear. It would be for you. I know how you feel about me giving you money, so I figured that this would be an opportunity for you to feel like you've earned your way."

Aro was right. She hated feeling like his charity case and always took the bare minimum from him. Stealing from bad people, making money off of it—those all sounded like good things to her.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Once she'd agreed, Aro increased the hours that she spent working on fine-tuning her powers. To Aro, the most important aspect of this training was mastering the art of mind control. She took turns training with James, Alec and Jane, all of whom's powers involved mind control in a way.

Each of them had a different style of teaching Bella. Alec did it in a thoughtful, logical manner. He explained what it was like to force yourself into someone else's mind. He walked her through it step by step.

Jane took a far different path than her twin's. She made sure that the experience was painful for Bella. She made Bella watch her as she used her power's on one of the less powerful people working for Aro. She would explain what she was doing with a glee that bordered on psychotic. Meanwhile, her latest victim was left writhing on the floor. After a while, Aro agreed that Bella didn't have to train with Jane anymore.

James was perhaps the best at training her, but his methods made Bella the most uncomfortable. He, like Jane, also used one of Aro's people to work with, but he made Bella use her powers on them instead. It was hard for Bella to do, as she was on friendly terms with most of these people. James would remind her that even if she liked the people that she was stealing from, she would still need to wipe her identity from their memory.

His training exercises were always difficult, but they helped Bella to improve. She would have been completely fine with having James as a teacher if he didn't continuously express a romantic interest in her. He gave her the creeps and she wasn't going to go out with him. His stare made her skin crawl, much like Jane's did.

Finally, on her eighteenth birthday, Aro let her go on her first heist. She was to steal a painting from an investor who was participating in insider trading. It didn't go quite as smoothly as she'd planned it. She'd entered the house without any issues. She'd found the painting she was looking for within minutes. She'd figured out how to get the painting off the wall.

Everything was going right until she saw a comic laying on the floor. It was a Batman comic (_of course_). Immediately it made her think of her Batman. He'd hardly recognize her now. That thought pleased some deep, dark part of her.

The comic was distraction enough that it had caused her to knock over a lamp. It woke everyone in the house up and it caused her to do the one thing that she didn't want to do: wipe all herself (but not the missing painting) from their memories.

In the end, it was worth it. She'd never felt a thrill like it when she left the house with the painting. Her heart was pounding and a smile crept onto her face. When she returned to Aro and saw how pleased he was, she knew that she'd found her calling.

xXx

When Bella woke up the morning after Edward's revelations, she couldn't help but to think of everything Aro had given to her for seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays. Were they all lies? Had Aro not really killed the man who'd ruined her life? Was he making her steal from people who were helping Edward's family? Never mind all of the terrible things Edward had told her about Aro's past—she couldn't even bring herself to think about that at the moment.

She was torn and didn't know whom to trust. Every part of her ached at the thought of Aro betraying her. She knew he was capable of treating people as if they didn't matter, but he never thought that he'd treat her that way. He'd always acted as if she were family. What if it was just that, though—an act?

She was supposed to meet him at the house he'd bought on the outskirts of Princeton in about an hour. She would bring the jewelry that she'd stolen yesterday with her—along with the million questions that she would make Aro answer.

xXx

Bella breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth when she pulled into the drive of Aro's palatial estate. She found herself pinching her nose in frustration after a moment. It was a move that was very reminiscent of Edward's own mannerisms. Thinking of Edward gave her the courage to get out of her car and make it up the walkway to Aro's door.

She was startled to find that Alec was already opening the door before she could even ring the bell. Aro usually had someone of lower status than Alec answering the door for him. It struck her as odd that today of all days Aro chose to have Alec do it.

"Hello, Bella. Aro's waiting for you in the sitting room." Alec gave her a polite smile. Those were the only kind of smiles that he ever gave her. She'd never questioned it or his intentions, but she was beginning to.

Bella followed him down the long hallway to the sitting room. "Why's Aro having you answer the door today?" She looked around the house and noticed that it wasn't filled with Aro's disciples, as it usually was. "Where is everyone?"

"Aro asked that everyone clear out of the house. He wanted to speak with you alone. I'll be heading out, too, actually. Aro just wanted someone to stick around to play butler." Alec gave her a playful eye roll, but both his expression and words didn't ring true to Bella.

Bella and Alec entered the sitting room to find Aro sitting on an expensive leather sofa, sipping on a cup of tea. He smiled widely at Bella and got up out of his seat.

He reached out to Bella to hug her and she allowed him to, even though her body stiffened at the contact. For the moment, he was no longer someone that she trusted with her body.

Aro released her and frowned. "I can see that Edward has been telling tales about me." He looked over Bella's shoulder. "You can leave now, Alec."

Alec nodded and quietly exited the room.

Aro turned to Bella and gestured towards the couch. "Have a seat, please."

Bella stayed in place. "I think I'd rather stand."

Aro looked annoyed at her disobedience, but then flashed her a smile. "Suit yourself." He sat carefully back down on the couch and resumed drinking his tea.

Bella glared at him. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself? Anything at all?"

"Well, dear, you haven't accused me of anything yet, so I can hardly defend myself."

Bella could feel herself lose her grasp on her telekinesis. Aro's cup of tea flew out of his hands and spilled itself on his Persian rug. Bella didn't bother with apologizing.

"Why don't you start with the fact that you never told me that you were some sort of immortal _thing_ called a Justice Seeker?"

Aro frowned at the stain forming on the expensive rug, but made no move to clean it up. "You already had a hard enough time trusting anyone after your parents death. Would you have ever put your trust in me to help you if you knew what I was?"

"No, I wouldn't have. That was for me to decide. You took my choice away. Had I known what you were—some sort of monster who kills innocent people, then I would have never gone with you the day my parents died."

The only outward sign that Aro gave of his anger was the pursing of his lips. Bella knew his tells, though. If he was letting that much slip, then he was in a rage. "I don't kill innocent people. I'm not sure what Edward told you, but I only kill those who deserve it. It's my job."

"I think that may have once been true, but I think you've skewed the guidelines of who deserves. Can you honestly tell me that you only kill the scum of the earth? The rapists, the murderers, the pedophiles? Or do you kill those that you feel have wronged you—those who have stood in your way?"

Aro crossed his legs and folded his hands over his knees. "Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices in order to ensure the greater good. Sometimes, the ends really do justify the means."

Bella shook her head. "It's not right Aro. It will never be right. Just like what you did with Edward. Taking him from his parents was definitely not right."

Something dark flashed in Aro's eyes. "He is _my_ son. Carlisle and Esme, they were going to raise him to be weak. They see the world through rose-colored glasses. Edward needed to grow up knowing about the evil that exists in this world. He would have never had that growing up with them."

To some extent, Bella agreed with him. The world was a dark place. No one knew that better than her. She still didn't agree with what Edward had done, though.

Bella looked at Aro. It was as if she was truly seeing him for the very first time. Each and every one of his actions now seemed so planned and manipulative. She'd always known him as a man who always knew the right thing to say. She'd just never seen it in this light.

Still, there was one more thing she felt she owed him for. It was the one thing that had always kept her tied to him, that inspired her devotion to him.

She stared him down. "You never found the man who killed my parents and raped me, did you? He's still out there, attacking other girls, taking their memories, isn't he?"

Aro's response was quiet. "I wanted you to hunt him down, someday. It is your right. You weren't ready for it then, but you still needed closure. So I gave it to you. I was planning on telling you when you graduated college this May. Now, you're just finding it out a bit earlier than planned."

Bella felt a pain in her chest that she hadn't felt since her parents died. She could feel her eyes brimming with tears and did nothing to stop them from falling. "What? Did you think I was going to hunt him down and kill him? That I was going to become someone like you? Now, that will _never_ happen."

She whipped out the stolen necklace and threw it onto the couch. "There. This is the last time I steal anything for you. I want you to stay out of my life. I want you to leave Edward alone, too, while you're at it."

Aro made no move to stop her as she exited the house, but she felt his thoughts brush against her mind. He always had to have the last word.

Eventually, my dear Bella, you will see it my way. There are no good guys and bad guys in this world. I will be waiting for you whenever you come back. You are my family and nothing will ever change that.

Bella let him feel her displeasure and shut him out of her mind. Forever.

xXx

Bella drove without a destination, but somehow still found herself parked out in front of Edward's house anyways. She had spent much of the ride over sobbing uncontrollably and couldn't seem to bring herself to stop.

Edward opened the door right as her finger hit the doorbell. She could feel his distress. His thoughts were muddled. "Oh, Bella," he sighed.

In this moment, she could admit to herself that she needed him. In a move that surprised even her, she reached out to hug him. After a moment's shock, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

It wasn't enough for Bella, though. She wanted more. She needed their mental connection for comfort, so she decided to open it up a bit more than usual.

Both of them gasped in unison. Bella hadn't just opened the bond a little more—she'd opened it all the way. For the very first time, their minds had completely merged.

_Oops_.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Author's Note: This is the longest chapter yet. I hope that you all enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review this story. I appreciate it.

Chapter Eleven

They were no longer two separate beings. There was no more Edward and Bella, but a single distinct entity. A single mind.

Memories were laid out before them. Not his or hers, but _theirs_. What once belonged to one, now belonged to two.

Edward and Bella saw each other clearly for the first time.

xXx

Edward worshipped his father and with good reason. Papa always kept his promises. He was turning six today and Papa had promised him a very special present: his mother. Edward had never known his mother, but Papa had told him that she would be with them forever today. Edward knew that the other boys and girls his age had mothers and saw how much they liked it. He decided he wanted one, too.

Edward had been waiting all day for Papa to return with his present. It was almost dinnertime and he was very hungry. Papa had told him to play quietly in his room until he came back, but Edward was getting bored just playing with his toys and really wanted to eat. There were only so many times a boy of his age could be expected to spin a top using his mind without getting bored.

Tiptoeing quietly, Edward left his room and made his way into the common area of the house. He hoped that one of Papa's friends might be able to help him get some food. Papa had lots of friends that lived in their house with them. Papa had told him that he was like their king and that Edward was their little prince. Most of them didn't treat Edward like a prince though, especially Alec and Jane. Edward didn't know why Papa's friends didn't like him, but he knew that Papa would be upset if they didn't help him.

All of Edward's hopes were met and then some when he found Papa in the common room surrounded by his friends.

"Papa," Edward cried out in delight. He ran to his father, but didn't make it. A searing pain coursed through his foot and he fell over. He looked down to see that a piece of ceramic had become stuck in his foot. His eyes searched the floor and saw that a vase had been shattered.

When Edward looked up, it was into Papa's eyes. They looked angrier than he'd ever seen them. "Papa, who broke this vase?" Edward asked, not quite understanding why his father seemed so angry. "I hurt myself on it. Please help me."

Papa sighed. Edward tried to read Papa's mind, but he was thinking in a language that Edward couldn't understand. He could feel Papa's rage, though. It felt like the time he put his hand too close to the fire and came away quite literally red handed. Edward didn't understand what could have made Papa so angry.

After a moment, Papa spoke. "I'm sorry, my boy. I broke it. You should have been more careful in coming in. Of course, you shouldn't have even been in here in the first place."

Edward felt ashamed. He hated displeasing Papa. "Sorry, Papa. You were gone for a long time. I was hungry." Edward paused and then broke out into a smile. "Did you find my mother, Papa? Is that why you're back home so late?"

Papa walked over to Edward. He stepped on vase pieces along the way, but Edward knew that it wouldn't make a difference to his father. Things didn't hurt Papa like they did Edward.

When Papa finally reached Edward, he crouched before him. His hand reached out and Edward thought he was going to stroke his face, as Papa so often did when he was trying to lull him to sleep. Instead, he reared his hand back and struck Edward solidly across the face.

Edward saw stars and a ringing noise echoed in his ears. Papa had never done that to him before. Never. Tears filled his eyes.

Papa took Edward's face roughly between his large hands. "Listen to me, boy. I don't ever want to hear you speak of your mother again. Hear me? She doesn't want you. She will never want you. She's living with some interloper."

Edward could feel his lower lip trembling. "But Papa—"

Papa shushed him. "No buts. I can see now that I've tried to raise you with both a mother and father's touch. Obviously, that was never going to work. I need to be harder with you. I need to teach you how to be a man. That will be my birthday present to you, dear boy."

Edward tried to blink away his tears. "I don't understand, Papa."

Papa stroked his face as he had wished Papa would do before. "You will in time. Right now, the best thing I can do is to have you figure a way out of this situation. You must remove that piece of vase from your foot yourself and find a way to heal it."

Edward's eyes widened. "I can't do that, Papa."

Papa released Edward's face and stood up. "You must. There will be a birthday feast waiting for you when you're done. Happy birthday, Edward."

His father exited the room, ignoring Edward's pleas to him. Jane, Alec and the others followed him out.

Edward could hear Jane talking to Alec as they left the room. "Looks like things didn't go so well with Carlisle and Esme."

He tried to catch the rest of their conversation, but couldn't. Despite that, he'd still figured out something very important. He was always good at putting two and two together.

His mother's name was Esme. Carlisle, he deduced, must be the man who was preventing her from being his mother. Edward decided two things in that moment: he would find this Carlisle and kill him, and he would make Esme be his mother. To do that, though, he would need to be strong.

He reached forward and ripped the vase piece out of his foot with a (very manly) shriek.

That was a start.

xXx

A hand waved in front of her face.

Bella turned to find her mother standing beside her, a frown on her face. "Where were you, Bella?" she asked.

Bella returned her attention to the window she was looking out of. "Nowhere. I was just thinking."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately. You're thirteen years old. You should be out with your friends, not inside the house, sulking."

Bella rolled her eyes, not caring if her mother saw. "I'm fine, Mom. I just want some time to myself."

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady." Renee was never good at being stern and quickly softened the tone of her voice. "It's Halloween. Don't you want to go out and trick or treat? Or maybe go to a party at a friend's house?"

Bella merely shrugged.

Her mother put a hand to her shoulder and squeezed. "Someday, I hope you'll tell me what's wrong. Your father and I love you so very much. We want you to be happy." When Renee got no response in return, she removed her hand from Bella's shoulder. "Your father and I are going to a costume party. We'll be back before eleven. Please make sure you answer the door for any trick or treaters."

"Okay," Bella quietly agreed.

Bella couldn't have been more relieved when her parents left the house. Their constant hovering was exhausting. She just wanted to be left alone, especially on this day. Halloween.

It had been a little under a year since she'd last seen Batman. She had thought that he might come on this very day. He always came to see what her Halloween costume was. He hadn't shown up yet. It was nearing eight.

_He was probably just a figment of my stupid imagination_, she thought to herself.

The doorbell rang and her heart began to pound. This could be him. He'd never rang her doorbell before, but there was a first for everything.

She ran down the stairs and flung the door open.

It wasn't Batman. It was one of her classmates, Tyler Crowley. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Hey, Bella," Tyler said, speech slightly slurred due to the vampire teeth he was sporting.

"Tyler," she replied, monotone. "Want some candy?"

Tyler flashed her a wide smile, his dimples peeking out. "No, actually. I came over to invite you to a party at my house down the street." His cheeks turned pink.

A quick look into his mind told Bella that Tyler had a major crush on her. Bella was surprised; she hardly talked to anyone at school. She gave him a good look. He was cute. Not hot, but cute. And, Bella knew from having read his mind many a time over the years, he was a genuinely good guy to boot.

If she went to this party and had fun with boys like Tyler Crowley, then maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to get over her possibly-a-guardian-angel.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go."

xXx

Edward ran as fast as he could. Aro, the man he'd once thought of as Papa, had men chasing him. Edward had tried to escape before, but had never done so successfully. He'd made it pretty far this time, though.

He'd led the three Justice Seekers tailing him into the marketplace. For all their speed, he was fairly certain that they couldn't outwit him in such a crowded area.

He didn't slow down as he weaved through the throng of people. He used his telekinesis to (lightly) push people out of his way. The effort would be worth it. He just had to make it to the Protector that he'd spotted with his mind several weeks ago.

He'd never spoken with the man, but had been able to send messages with his mind. He'd let him know where he was planning on meeting him. It was his hope that the man would meet him there.

Finally, Edward had made it. He could see the man standing before him. This man would take him to the two people he wanted to meet most: Carlisle and Esme. Over the years, Aro had made quite the effort to try to make Edward hate Carlisle. Aro tried to make Edward hate a lot of things, though, so Edward figured that Carlisle was, at the very least, an person with some kind of human decency.

Edward had spent several years hating Carlisle, though. That was before he knew who Carlisle and Esme were to each other. That was before he'd heard the whispers about how he had been taken from them as a babe. That was before Aro had decided to have Edward beaten on a daily basis to help strengthen his "mental resolve."

Edward couldn't help the sense of relief that spread through him as he walked towards the Protector. He wouldn't allow himself to smile yet, not until he was sure of his safety.

Sure enough, when he used his senses to search out the area, he could hear a beggar's mental distress. A Justice Seeker was questioning him, while holding a sword poised over his heart.

Edward yelled over to the Protector, "Follow me!" He didn't look to see if he followed.

When he reached the beggar, the Justice Seeker was about to swing his sword. Edward acted completely on instinct. He mentally knocked the beggar out of the way and dove in front of the sword.

The sword pierced his heart and he could feel himself dying. The Protector jumped on top of him and teleported them out of the marketplace.

Edward could feel the life draining quickly out of him. He was able to send the Protector once last thought before everything went black.

_Take me to Esme and Carlisle. Take me to my mother and father. _

xXx

Bella was sitting on a swing, pout firmly in place. She was making the most minimal of efforts to swing herself back and forth, her foot dragging across the woodchips, making meaningless designs.

None of the kids in her preschool class liked her very much. It wasn't her fault that weird things always seemed to happen when she was around. Just minutes ago, one of the boys in her class had been teasing her. She'd gotten angry and the next thing she knew, he was flying off the swing set. All of her classmates had run away from her, calling her a freak.

Bella's parents had already made her start preschool late. They'd told her that she needed to learn to be good when she was mad. Her mommy and daddy had decided that she was ready for that this year. Now, Mommy and Daddy were going to be very angry with her. She would not be getting the new Barbie that she wanted.

She was in the midst of half-heartedly swinging herself when she felt a "knock" on her mind. That had never happened before. She entered people's minds. They never entered hers.

_Hello_, she called out with her mind. _Who's there?_

She felt the other person's shock and a bit of fear. Whoever it was seemed to be afraid of her.

_I don't bite_, she giggled.

_That's good to know_. It was a man's mental-voice. It reminded Bella of an ice cream sundae.

She heard someone sitting down in the swing next to her and turned to see the handsomest man that she'd ever laid eyes on. He was even more handsome than her daddy!

His eyes were the color of Bella's favorite green crayon. She liked his hair even better than his eyes, though. It was pretty like a penny.

Bella frowned and tugged on her own boring brown hair, wishing that she had hair as interesting as the man's.

The man reached out and stopped her hand. _Don't ruin your pretty hair, please_.

_It's not pretty. It's ugly_. Despite her words, she stopped tugging on her hair.

The man released her hand and she felt sad. _Beauty is in the eye of the beholder_. The man gestured over to the slide where the other children were playing. _Why aren't you playing with your friends?_

_I did a mean thing_. She was embarrassed to tell the man, but she could tell that he would be nice to her.

The man got up and began to push her swing for her. _I used to do mean things when I was your age, too. Sometimes I would make objects explode. Other times I would use my mind to push someone down. Does that happen to you?_

_Yes_, Bella responded. _It happens to me all the time!_

_What if I told you that I knew how to help you?_ He gave her a big push and the swing went up higher than ever.

Bella kicked her feet up and laughed. _I would have to ask my mommy and daddy._

The man stopped swinging her. _You wouldn't be able to tell anyone about me, though. Could you do it then?_

Bella liked the idea of keeping the man a secret. She didn't want to share him with anyone.

_Okay_, she agreed.

_Good, you'll be seeing me again in the very near future_.

Bella turned around to ask the man what he meant and, more importantly, what his name was, but he was gone.

xXx

"Come, Edward. I could use some help grooming the horses."

Edward wasn't quite sure why Carlisle needed _his_ help, but he followed him to the stables, anyway. Carlisle, unlike Aro, took joy in doing menial tasks. He didn't have minions roaming around his home. Those who did live in Carlisle and Esme's home were more like worshippers. Carlisle's words were sacred to them.

Carlisle's kindness and charisma made it almost impossible to resent him. Yet, Edward couldn't help himself. He'd spent most of his childhood blaming Carlisle for taking his mother from him. Logically, he knew that it wasn't Carlisle's fault. Unfortunately, logic and emotions didn't often go hand in hand.

He'd been snappish and peevish to Carlisle in the two months since coming to live with him and Esme. Despite that, Carlisle never had a bad thought about Edward. He loved Edward in a way that Edward could feel was different than Aro's tainted paternal love. Carlisle seemed to know that an outward expression of that love would make Edward uncomfortable, though. Instead, he took all the vitriol that Edward spewed at him without a word of protest.

It came to the point where Edward was actively avoiding Carlisle. Carlisle usually left him alone, but today seemed to be the exception.

Carlisle led him out to the stables, a place Edward had never been to before. He had no need of horses now that he had superior strength and speed. Also, Carlisle spent a lot of time in the stables, so that was another deterrent.

Carlisle bee lined for a large black stallion and knelt down to inspect the horse's hooves. One of the hooves didn't appear to pass Carlisle's inspection and he ran a hand over it, healing whatever fault he found.

"There you go, old boy," Carlisle said quietly.

Edward was beginning to feel impatient. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked, not bothering to hide how annoyed he sounded.

Carlisle stood up and began to pet the stallion. "I wanted you to meet this fellow," he said calmly with a nod to the horse.

Edward's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"He was to be yours. His name is Isis. He's getting quite old, but so far I've been able to heal his ailments." Carlisle smiled softly at Edward. "I was so excited when I found out that Esme was with child, so thankful for what I thought my brother had done for me. To me, you were a miracle. I barely got to hold you before Aro took you, but in the moment I did, I have never been happier. Not until the moment you returned to us, that is.

"I know you're angry, Edward and you have every right to be. But know, that your mother and I love you very, very much. We have spent the past two decades searching tirelessly for you. Your mother even considered turning herself in to Aro. She would have gone through with it, if she had thought it would have kept you safe. It wouldn't have, though. Aro would have killed you. Either because he felt that your purpose had been fulfilled or because he would have seen you as a competitor for your mother's affections."

Edward scowled. "I may have been better off dead than spending my years growing up with Aro. I'm afraid that I am not the man that you and Esme would have wanted me to be."

Carlisle's eyes filled with tears. "You are everything and more that I dreamed you would be. You gave your life for another man's. You've become a Protector. You've survived whatever tortures Aro put you through. One day, if you'll let me, I'll be proud to call you my son."

Edward wasn't sure how to handle that. "I always thought I would be a Justice Seeker. I still feel I would have been better suited to it." He didn't want Carlisle to be disappointed in him, but he deserved to know the truth.

Carlisle gave him a small smile. "The path of a Justice Seeker is also a noble one, despite what Aro has made it. I hope one day our two kinds can be allies once again. In fact should you choose that path—"

xXx

"Well, this looks cozy. Group hug?"

Bella snapped back into her own mind and realized that she was still in Edward's arms. She quickly released him and took a step back. Her mind was still connected to his, but they were once again two separate minds. She could hear his every thought, feel his every emotion, but they were distinctly his. He could do the same for her. The extreme intimacy made her uncomfortable.

The memories that they had shared with one another had been shocking. In some ways, she was sad that the stream of memories had stopped. She'd learned so much about Edward, about Aro. It was too much to handle at the same time, though. From what she'd already seen, she'd never see either man the same way.

She tried to break the bond, but found she couldn't. Whatever walls she had erected against him over the years had tumbled down.

_Close the bond_, she ordered Edward.

She could feel his pain. _I can't._ _It can't ever truly be closed now._

"What?" she screeched.

Edward opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted them by someone clearing their throat.

Bella and Edward turned to see the man who had pulled them out of whatever voodoo trance they had been in. He looked around the same age as Edward. He was almost as handsome, too, with curly blond hair brushing against the collar of his shirt.

Bella didn't care how attractive he was, though. "Who the fuck are you?" she spat out.

She could hear the answer in Edward's mind, as his every thought now ran through hers, but the man still answered her aloud.

"My names Jasper. I'm Edward's brother," he drawled, a Texas twang to his voice.

Edward snorted. "What timing you have, brother. Also, where ever did you pick up that accent? You sound ridiculous."

Bella was stunned. This was Jasper, the one who wasn't there to protect her parents the day they died.

Even though Edward knew what she was planning to do, he made no effort to stop her. She could tell he was amused. She let him know how she felt about that with a mental glare.

Bella marched up to Jasper and slugged him right across the mouth.

"_That_," she told him, "is for my parents."

Jasper rubbed his jaw for a moment. Then, he looked at Bella with a deadly serious expression on his face. "I deserved that. I blame myself every day for what happened to your parents. I cannot tell you how sorry I am."

Bella could see he was sincere. "I accept your apology, but I reserve the right to punch you again."

"Okay," he agreed. He turned back to look at Edward. "Your girl packs quite the punch."

A handsome young couple entered the room then. The man had a halo of blond hair and the woman had the exact same shade of reddish brown as Edward's. She knew the blond haired man from the memory that Edward's mind had shared with hers. Carlisle. She guessed that the woman was his mother.

The woman smiled widely at Bella. "I thought I heard a voice I didn't recognize! You must be Bella. You're even more beautiful than Edward described. I'm his mother, Esme." She motioned to the handsome man to her right. "This is my husband and Edward's father, Carlisle."

Bella could see how Carlisle and Aro were related. Even though Carlisle had light coloring and Aro dark, both had the same fine boned facial features. It was also the same features that they'd passed down to Edward.

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle said. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Edward has told us so much about you."

Bella could feel Edward's embarrassment. She thought it was kind of adorable that someone who lived as long as he had could still feel embarrassed by his parents.

Edward clearly picked up on that thought and sent her back a mental smirk. Bella resisted giving him a mental smack to the head. Instead, she replied to Carlisle and Esme's introductions.

"Carlisle, Esme. Edward has spoken so highly of the both of you."

Carlisle smiled at her and it was a bit like staring into the sun. Edward was clearly jealous of that thought, so Bella decided to ease his worries. _I'm not attracted to him, so stop it_.

"Why don't you come join us for some tea," Carlisle was saying when she returned her attention to him.

Bella checked her watch and was shocked to see the time. "_Shit_." She could feel her cheeks turning red. "Sorry. Please excuse my language. I just have to be somewhere and I'm afraid that I'm running late." Rose and Alice would not be happy.

Esme looked disappointed. "Perhaps another time, dear."

Bella stiffened at Esme's usage of the same term of endearment Aro so often used. "Perhaps," she responded, tone colder than she intended it to be. She imbued some warmth into her voice. "I'd like that."

"I'll walk Bella out," Edward told his family.

Everyone said their goodbyes. Edward and Bella walked silently alongside one another all the way to Bella's car.

Finally Bella spoke up, "You and I clearly need to talk. You can come by my place tonight. Then, you can explain to me everything that just happened between the two of us."

Edward blew out a breath. "Okay. Putting some distance between the two of us right now should lessen the bond, so you'll have some time to think on your own. As will I." Edward paused and scraped his toe over the pavement. "You came here today because you found out what Aro really is, didn't you?"

Bella could only nod in response.

"I'm glad that you came to me."

Bella shrugged and got into her car. She waved at Edward, who waved back to her.

She couldn't end their conversation on such a serious note, so she sent him one last mental message.

_Don't forget to tell Jasper about Alice_.

The laugh that Edward sent her warmed her from the inside out.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay in posting. I live in New Jersey and was without electricity last week due to Hurricane Sandy. I hope my fell North Easterners are okay. I had some major writer's block with this chapter, so I hope it came out okay!

Chapter Twelve

Rose and Alice were a picture of opposites when Bella pulled up to Jessica Stanley's family home. Rose was pacing like a caged tiger, while Alice was sitting on the sidewalk, face serenely tilted towards the sun. Bella felt a burst of affection for the two girls.

She began to regret that feeling when Rose marched up to her as she got out of her car.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose demanded.

Alice took it upon herself to answer. "I already told you. Bella Cullen was with Edward Cullen!"

Bella took a deep breath before speaking to Alice. "I'm Bella _Swan_, not Cullen. And, yes, I was with Edward. I was . . . detained."

"Is that what the cool kids are calling it nowadays?" Rose snarked.

Bella could feel her face heating up, but was unable to contain the spread of her blush.

"I know exactly what they were doing," Alice said smugly. "They were beginning the first step of the mating process!"

"_WHAT?_" Rose and Bella responded in unison.

"Jinx!" Alice cried out. "You both owe me a soda."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," Rose muttered. Voice louder, she said, "What the hell are you talking about, crazy? 'Mating'? Sounds like something that animals do."

Alice shook her head and dramatically waved her hands in the air. "I keep forgetting that you don't know. Living in the now is so hard!" Alice sucked in a gulp of air and then prattled on for several minutes about everything that Edward had told Bella about the Justice Seekers and Protectors. She concluded her little speech with a topic that Edward hadn't really broached: mating.

"So you see," Alice lectured, "there are different parts to the mating process. The first part involves a total melding of the minds between two people—even people who don't have psychic powers. I would tell you the next part, but I want it to be a total surprise for Bella."

Bella didn't like that Alice knew more about this than she did. "Or I could just take that information from your mind," she snapped back.

Alice smiled back at her. "You wouldn't. Mostly because you wouldn't do that to a friend."

Bella knew that was true, so she decided to attack Alice from a different angle. "Why are you the one telling me this? Why isn't Edward?"

"If you'd let him tell you tonight, you would have freaked out on him. This way you have time to swallow that information. You don't do so hot with finding out new things, you know."

Again, Alice had hit the nail on the head. Bella didn't like being one-upped. "Whatever," she muttered.

During Alice's entire speech, and her back and forth with Bella, Rosalie had been standing still as a statue. She slowly came back to life and began to laugh hysterically.

Alice's brow furrowed. "I didn't see this coming. Of course, even the best seer can't predict everything."

"You're not a seer," Rosalie managed to choke out between laughs. "What you are, is a fucking maniac. You should have never left the loony bin."

"She's telling the truth, Rose," Bella said. "Edward is a Protector. I've known him since I was a little girl. He's never aged a day. That's not really good genes. That's immortality."

Rose had finally stopped laughing and was now beginning to glare menacingly at Bella and Alice. "I'm not going to believe that crock of shit."

Bella sized the other girl up and saw that she had a true skeptic on her hands. "I can see that you can't be convinced of the truth."

Before Rosalie had a chance to respond, a booming voice interrupted them.

"Hello, ladies. You've been standing in front of my house for a while. Can I help you with anything?"

Bella turned around to find a giant of a man grinning at them. He had curly black hair and dimples. He looked like a gentle giant, but Bella could tell that he was capable of being anything but. A quick glimpse of his mind told her that, at this very moment, he was truly well intentioned.

Despite the man's friendly demeanor, Rosalie seemed to take an immediate disliking to him, if the glacial stare down she gave him was anything to tell by.

"We're looking for Jessica Stanley," she said, voice cool. "Would you happen to know where we could find her?"

The man's friendly look quickly turned into a wary one. "I would know where to find her. I'm her brother, Emmett. I don't think I'll be letting you see her until I know what your intentions are."

"Our _intentions_?" Rose repeated in a condescending manner. "Do you want to know if we have a hotel room rented out for after we take her to the prom?"

Bella could see the heat rising in Emmett's eyes and decided to intervene before Rose made things worse.

"We're here to ask her some questions about what happened to her," Bella said quietly.

Emmett's expression turned blank. "The police have already asked her enough questions, I think. I don't need some nosey reporters asking the same ones all over again."

"We're not the police. We've been investigating the rapes occurring around here for more personal reasons." Bella steeled herself for what she had to say. "My friends, Alice, the short one, and Rose, the one who seems to enjoy tormenting you, were both victims of the same rapist. And I believe that I was, too. Many, many years ago."

Emmett looked intrigued. "Why investigate this yourselves? Why not let the police handle it?"

Alice had an answer for him this time. "The police haven't been asking the right questions. They don't know which dots to connect. We do. Once we have the right information, we'll give it to the police and they can arrest the bastard who did this to us."

Bella wasn't so sure that was true. She couldn't imagine letting the man who'd slaughtered her family and eviscerated her life sitting in a cushy jail cell. She'd let Emmett believe that, though, if it would get him to let up.

Emmett scratched at his chin, seemingly making up his mind. "Okay," he finally said, "come with me." He walked up towards the house.

Rosalie marched up right behind him, aiming a glare at his back.

"What's her deal?" Bella asked Alice. She knew that she could just read Rose's mind, but she kind of liked having a girlfriend to gossip with—not that she'd ever admit it.

"I'm pretty sure she _likes_ him," Alice said back, not bothering to whisper.

Rosalie turned and gave Alice the finger, while Emmett fiddled with the lock to the house.

"Alice," Bella admonished. "You need to learn the art of discretion."

"Hard to be discreet when you know everybody's business," Alice retorted.

"I thought you didn't know _everything_."

"I don't, but I certainly know far too much."

Emmett let them inside the house and told them to have a seat in the living room.

"I'll be just a minute," he told them. "I'm going to go get my sister and let her know what you guys are here for so she doesn't feel bombarded."

Once he left the room, Rosalie turned to the other two girls with a frown on her face. "I don't like him and I don't trust him."

Bella snorted. "No, really? We couldn't tell."

"Cut the sarcasm. He rubs me the wrong way."

"More like the right way," Alice trilled, laughing at her own joke.

Rosalie threw a pillow at the smaller girl.

"Ouch," Alice pouted.

Emmett suddenly appeared behind Rose and tapped her on the shoulder.

Rose lit him on fire.

Even more surprising than Rose's reaction, was what Emmett did in response to the fire. A pipe burst through the living room floor and the water made a beeline for Emmett, dousing him. Emmett appeared to have total control over the flow of the water.

Alice appeared frustrated. "How did I not see that coming?"

Emmett was no longer on fire and the water went rushing back into the pipe. The pressure of the water in the pipe forced it back underground, but there was still a gaping hole in the living room floor.

There were burns across Emmett's face, neck and arms. His damaged skin appeared to be knitting itself back together until it was as flawless as it was before Rose set him on fire.

"Well," Bella said. "You can control water. You appear to be immortal. So, are you a Justice Seeker or a Protector?"

"Justice Seeker," Emmett responded, a hint of pride in his voice. "I'm not one of Aro's goons, though. I don't belong to him. He's not a real Justice Seeker. I don't follow anyone, but I do sometimes work for Carlisle."

Rose groaned. "Not this Justice Seeker and Protector bullshit again."

Bella was getting tired of Rose's denial. "Did you not just see him heal from some major burns? What more proof do you need? Boy's immortal."

Rose looked a bit cowed. "I, just . . . the whole thing is kind of ridiculous."

"And being able to control fire isn't?"

"I guess not," Rose grumbled.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Are you done, ladies?"

Rosalie leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms with a pout. Bella muttered out a "sorry."

"Right then," Emmett continued. "I wasn't completely honest with you ladies. I could hear you all talking outside. Super hearing and all, you know. I figured out that you must have powers. I also heard you mention an Edward. Were you talking about Edward Cullen?"

Bella could feel the tips of her ears turning red, knowing what particular part of the conversation Emmett must have overheard. "Yes. That's the Edward we were talking about."

"He's a good friend of mine and a good man. Any girl would be lucky to have him for a mate." Emmett gave Bella a pointed look.

Bella felt her blush spread. She wasn't able to get out a response before a small brunette entered the room.

The girl looked to be all of fifteen, but Bella knew she had to be older than that. She was dressed in a preppy manner and looked well put together. Her face, though, was a picture of distress. Her eyes were sunken in and her skin was pale. The girl's cheekbones stuck out in a way that said she needed a good meal.

"Hi," the girl rasped out.

Emmett smiled gently at the girl. "This is my sister, Jessica."

Alice took the reins on this one. "Hi, I'm Alice Brandon. These are my friends Rosalie Hale and Bella Cullen—"

"_Swan_," Bella corrected.

"—We're here to ask you a few questions about what happened the night you were raped. Bella, Rose and I had the same thing happen to us and we want to catch the bastard. Do you think you could help us?"

Jessica fingered the hem of her purple sweater. "Okay," she said, not looking at anyone.

Alice smiled brightly at the girl. "Thank you so much, Jessica. Can you tell us about that night?"

Jessica nodded. "I was walking home after class. A man came up and grabbed me. I never saw him. He put a hand over my mouth and then I passed out. I woke up in the same spot, but I knew what had happened to me. I went to the hospital." Her voice was completely void of any emotion as she detailed that night.

"Do you remember what he smelled like?"

Jessica looked at Alice as if she were crazy, but then recognition seemed to dawn on her. "He was wearing Chanel's special winter collection cologne."

Bella felt a twinge of excitement in her spine. "And what does that smell like?"

"Apples, mint and some say a bit of pear, although I don't think anyone can smell it. I'm a chemistry major and I like to play around with colognes and perfumes. That one is pretty distinct—and rare."

Bella grinned at the girl. "I think you may have just given us our first real lead, Jessica. I just have another question: do you have any sort of powers like your brother? Are you a Protector or a Justice Seeker?"

Jessica looked up at Emmett, clearly confused. "Emmett's not my brother. He's my great uncle. I don't have any powers. Emmett's the only one in the family whoever did. And he's watched over all of us for years."

Emmett intervened. "I had to lie to you girls. Wasn't exactly planning on telling you about being a Justice Seeker."

Rose smiled smugly. "Glad that I was able to get the truth out of you."

Emmett ignored her. "If all three of your have powers and Jessica doesn't, what does that mean? It doesn't seem like it fits into the pattern."

"Jessica doesn't have powers, but _you_ do," Bella pointed out. "That's the connection, there. I don't know what it means, except that our guy clearly has powers and selects his victims beforehand."

Jessica looked uncomfortable. "I don't think I can be a part of this conversation. It's just too hard for me. But I want you to find this guy. And when you do? I want him dead," she said with more vehemence than Bella had heard from her yet.

Jessica seemed embarrassed by her outburst and stalked out of the room.

"I haven't seen that kind of fire in her since it happened," Emmett told them. "To be frank, she used to be kind of nasty. Now, she just isn't anything. She's a shell of what she used to be. I'd rather her be mean."

Surprisingly, it was Rose who sought to comfort him. "She's going to bounce back. She's got a spine and she's got smarts. We're _all_ going to be okay." Bella could tell that Rose was thinking of her own recovery.

Emmett gave Rosalie a scrutinizing look. "Thank you. I want to help you ladies out any way that I can." He pulled a pen and a sheet of paper out of a drawer and scribbled on it. "Here's my phone number. Call me if you need me for anything."

It didn't escape either Bella or Alice's notice that he gave the paper to Rose, who pocketed it without comment.

Alice clapped her hands together. "We best get going. Bella has a very important date! Thank you for your hospitality, Emmett. We'll definitely be seeing you soon—some of us sooner than later." Alice winked at Rose, who flipped her the bird.

The girls left Emmett's house with a renewed sense of purpose. They had their first real lead: the cologne. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Nerves tampered Bella's excitement as she headed off to meet Edward. _Wish me luck_, she thought to herself.

xXx

The closer that Bella got to her apartment, the more her connection to Edward opened up. She knew now that it was not only her nerves she was feeling earlier, but also Edward's. She could hear his nervous thoughts now, too. And he could hear hers.

To be stripped so bare was terrifying.

_Knowing more about you isn't going to scare me away. Nobody's perfect_, he sent to her.

Of course Edward knew just the right thing to say.

_You'd be surprised how often I don't say the right thing around you._

_Stop eavesdropping. _

_Can't help it. _

Bella pulled up to her apartment building and saw Edward sitting outside her door. He looked so dashing in his jeans and button down shirt. Not that she'd ever let him know it.

His mental and physical smirk both let her know that he'd heard her assessment of his looks.

She could see the way he saw her, too. Right in this very moment he was thinking of how effortlessly beautiful she was.

_You don't see me clearly Edward. Take off the blinders. _

He stood up and sauntered towards her. When he reached her, he placed her hand in his. Both felt the heat and tingling sensation that always seemed to result from touching one another, but neither commented on it.

"I think you don't see yourself clearly, Bella," Edward said aloud. "But that's an issue that we'll have to address another day. How did the interview with Jessica Stanley go?"

Bella released Edward's hand and went to open her door. Once they were inside, she answered him. "It was quite interesting. She doesn't have any powers, but her great uncle, Emmett, does. He said he knew you."

Edward settled down on her couch and Bella took a seat at the other end. Edward frowned at the distance between then, but didn't say anything about it. Bella knew from his thoughts that he wasn't happy, though.

"I know an Emmett McCarty. He's a Justice Seeker. He's a good man and represents what the Justice Seekers could have been had Aro not tainted their purpose. He's been a friend to me over the last century as well. He helped me get out of a bit of a bind once." Edward smiled fondly. "I remember him telling me that he still watched over his family."

"Well, he's definitely watching over Jessica. He barely let us see her. We didn't even know what he was until Rosalie accidentally lit him on fire."

Edward's face lit up with a grin. "Did she now? Emmett must have loved that."

"I'm not quite sure about that. Anyways, Jessica was able to enlighten us a bit. She knew the exact cologne the man was wearing. I put Alice to the task of figuring out if she could get anything out of that."

Edward cocked a brow. "You're letting Alice follow up on our only lead?"

Bella casually studied her nails. "Alice knows a lot about a lot of things. I figured that would come in handy." She looked up and glared at Edward. "For example, one of the things Alice knows a lot about is the whole mating process. Like the fact that we went through the first step earlier today." Her tone was accusatory, but she didn't care.

Edward looked a bit panicked. "I swear I didn't know what was happening until it had already happened, Bella. You have to know that I would never force you to do anything you didn't want to do."

Bella could feel her anger residing. "I know. I know it's not your fault. I just . . . didn't want this to happen." Bella felt his hurt and rushed to explain herself. "I can't be anyone's mate. Not even yours. I can't be with someone like that."

Edward shifted closer to her on the couch. He reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Bella couldn't control the gasp that escaped her.

"I think you can be with someone like that. More specifically, I think you can be with _me_ like that. What that man did to you . . . that wasn't sex. That wasn't _love_. He took so much away from you. Don't let him take your right to pleasure away from you, too." As he spoke, Edward gently stroked the apple of her cheek.

His touch was a distraction, but his words eventually hit home. "You don't get it. I'm broken. I can't feel that way from a man's touch."

It was a lie. She knew it. Edward knew it.

He leaned in and looked her dead in the eyes. "You like my touch, though. Don't you?"

Bella gulped. She decided to regain control of the conversation. "Alice wouldn't tell me what the next step in the mating process was. Will you?"

Edward's grin could only be deemed predatory. "There's only one more step." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. His lips barely touched the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver. "It's sex."

Bella abruptly leaned back, only to fall off the couch. Edward barked out a laugh, but reached out a hand to help her up. Bella refused to take it, making sure to sit herself back down on the couch with ample space between her and Edward.

"We're not going to have sex," she told him firmly. "And we're not going to be mates. How do we undo this whole mating process?"

Edward shook his head back and forth. "You can't undo it. There's only one mate meant for each of us. Once the process begins, it can't be stopped. The pressure to complete the bond becomes unbearable."

Bella paled. "What if . . . what if we could be like friend-mates? You and I could spend time with each other as just friends to feed the bond."

Edward frowned at her. "If that's what would make you most comfortable, then we could try that. But, Bella? That's not going to be a permanent solution. I don't expect us to complete the bond today, but I think you and I both know that someday we will complete it." He paused.

He showed her with his mind what he could not say with words. He was envisioning the two of them curled up in front of a fireplace, laughing with one another, sharing playful kisses.

Bella wanted that kind of happiness, too. She just wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready for it.

"Right now, we're just going to be friends," she stated, tone leaving no room for argument. "We don't even know each other that well. As much time as I spent with you as a child, I never really got to know you. We were always focused on my powers."

"You're right. So let's get to know one another. Ask me anything."

Bella could feel the corners of her lips turning upwards. "Actually, I was going to suggest watching a movie. You can learn a lot about a person from their reactions to a movie. Which parts do they find funny? Which ones make them cry?"

Edward looked wary. "Okay. What movie are you thinking of?"

"How about _The Hangover_?"

"Never heard of it."

Bella was surprised. "It was a huge hit!"

Edward chuckled. "I'm a bit too busy to keep up with pop culture for the most part."

"You have to see it!" Bella got up and went to go pop the movie in.

Five minutes into the movie, Bella began to regret her suggestion.

Edward was staring at her. She could hear him making note of her every feature. It was distracting. It was _sensual_.

She recognized that she was in a losing battle with him when he began to take inventory of her lips. He was wondering if they were as soft as they looked—if they'd be soft when they touched his.

His thoughts led Bella to look at _his_ lips. His upper lip and lower lip were in direct proportion to one another. There was a small scar that creased his lower lip. _He must have gotten it when he was human_, she thought. It only made him more attractive.

Curiosity got the best of her. What would it be like to kiss him? Just once.

He leaned closer to her, clearly having heard the train of her thoughts. His eyebrows raised in challenge.

Losing wasn't something she was good at. She could kiss him and be unaffected. Friends kissed, right?

With a firm nod, she made her decision.

She closed the gap between them and placed her lips upon his.

Just like that, they were kissing.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was so late! I rewrote the ending several times. I think you'll all be happy with how I decided to end it, though.

Chapter 13

Soft lips and hard stubble pressed against Bella's chapped lips and smooth skin. She was kissing Edward. He was kissing her. They were kissing each other.

It felt _good_.

Her brain turned off and all she could do was feel. She could _feel_ how well her lips molded to Edward's. She could _feel_ the heat rising to her face. She could _feel_ not only her own pleasure, but Edward's as well.

Edward brought her closer to him, until they were chest to chest. Their hearts were beating in unison, steady pulses that were quickly becoming more rapid.

Everything was great, until her brain turned back on again.

She was kissing Edward, who expected so much from her—who felt too much for her. This kiss would mean something to him, something more than what she was willing to give.

Even though her doubts had begun to creep in, she kept kissing him. It was Edward who broke the kiss.

He ripped his lips away from hers and buried his face in her neck. "You're not ready," he said, voice hoarse.

She closed her eyes and laid her face on his shoulder. "I don't know if I'll ever be," she whispered.

"I'm an impatient guy, but I will wait for you. I want you to want this and I know a part of you does. I want all the parts of you, though. Even the ones that may never fully trust a man again."

Bella felt a rush of affection for him. She didn't deserve him. Not one bit. She was broken and he should be with someone whole.

He pulled back from her and clasped her by the shoulders, making sure she was looking him the eye. "Cut that out. Don't let the monster who did this to you win. You do deserve me. I'm the one who's done you wrong. I'm the one who should be saying that they're not good enough."

Bella couldn't help but to feel defensive of Edward, even if she was defending him against himself. _She_ was the only one allowed to critique him after all.

Edward's mental laughter interrupted the flow of her thoughts. The smile on his face made her heart flutter. Why did he have to be so damn handsome?

"I see that neither you nor I like it when we doubt ourselves. Seems that both of us could use to have a better sense of self perception."

Bella flopped back onto the couch with her arms crossed. _Get out of my mind, Edward._

He frowned at her. _You know that I can't._

Bella gave a dry, humorless laugh. "I know. Is there anyway that I could block you out? All my usual shielding tricks aren't working, but I am a bit rusty . . . "

Edward sat up, alarmed. "'Rusty'? What do you mean?"

Bella blushed, feeling ashamed. "Aro and I never really focused on my ability to shield my mind. He said it was already pretty strong. He wanted me to focus more on mind control and reading people's minds."

Anger flashed in Edward's eyes. "I'm sure that's exactly what he wanted. He was making sure that you're shields weren't as strong as they could be. You're shields are naturally excellent, but they're not perfect. Moments of extreme emotion could allow a skilled telepath into your mind."

Bella felt herself pale. "No. He wouldn't." Even as she said the words, she knew they weren't true. Aro was ruthless and she'd found out in the past 24 hours just how uncaring he could be.

"Of course he would, Bella. You saw what he did to me when I was just a child." Edward said the words with a hint of embarrassment. He clearly didn't enjoy talking about his past with Aro.

Bella reached out to take his hand. She wasn't used to being the one initiating contact, but she found that she liked it. It gave her a certain sense of power.

Bella slowly stroked her thumb over Edward's fingers. "Seeing Aro be so horrible to you . . . if I'd have known what he did to you, I would have been on your side from day one. I need you to know that. Until this morning, I never saw him clearly. Not truly.

"If what you say is true—that Aro made sure my shields weren't as strong as they needed to be—then I need to work on strengthening them. I need to make sure my powers are as strong as they possibly can be. I have the feeling that something bad is brewing, Edward. I can feel it in my bones. We need to be ready for it."

Edward gave her a small smile and focused his gaze on their clasped hands. "It's okay that you were wrong about Aro, you know. So many people are. I couldn't bring myself to tell you what he had done to me. Makes me feel like less of a man, I guess. Even though it shouldn't."

He paused and looked her right in the eyes. "I'll help you with your powers. I think we all need to work on strengthening our powers at a time like this. You're right. Something bad is coming. Aro seems to be lining up all his chess pieces."

Bella felt a twinge of excitement at the idea of training with Edward again. It had been so long. "When do we start?"

Edward chuckled. "Tomorrow. Tonight, let's just have fun." He nodded towards the TV screen. "I for one want to see what this group of bumbling idiots is going to do with the tiger in their bathroom."

Bella's brow furrowed. "You told me that you haven't ever seen _The Hangover_ before. And you sure as hell haven't been paying attention to the movie."

"That's what you think. I can pay attention to multiple things at once. All part of having heightened senses."

"That would come in handy for most of my classes," she muttered petulantly.

Edward laughed at her and returned his focus to the movie. She followed his lead and watched the movie as well.

Both were distracted by their joined hands, but neither tried to move their hand away. They fell asleep that way, sitting on opposite ends of the couch with their hands keeping them connected.

xXx

The dream Bell was having was not her own. It was Edward's. And it was more than just a dream—it was a memory.

Edward was playing chess with Carlisle. Carlisle was winning, even though Edward could read his every move. He was a chess mastermind and Edward was a novice.

Once Carlisle had declared checkmate with a small smile, it was clear the time for games was over. "We need to talk about what happened last night," he said.

Edward pouted, even though he knew it was childish. "I know not of what you speak."

Carlisle reluctantly chuckled. "You nearly killed a man, son. That's not something that should be taken lightly."

"I nearly killed a murderer, you mean," Edward retorted.

"Was he irredeemable?" Carlisle asked. "Was there no hope for his soul? You read his mind, Edward. Tell me."

Edward couldn't help but to feel ashamed. "No. He did what he did for his family. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished."

"He is being punished. He'll spend the rest of his life rotting away in a jail cell."

Edward sighed and scraped a hand over his face. "I'm not meant to be a Protector, am I, Carlisle?"

Carlisle stared at Edward for a long moment. "I think that we are each in control of our own destinies. That said, I do think the life of a Justice Seeker would have suited you better. You would have made a much finer leader than Aro ever was."

Edward smiled, but it was empty. "I may not be made for this, but I could never be a Justice Seeker. I would end up just like Aro. There's too much anger in me, thanks to him."

Carlisle shook his head. "You've never seen yourself as you truly are. You are a good man and would be a good man no matter what you were. I just wish you could see that."

Edward looked down, not quite knowing how to respond to that.

Carlisle heaved out a tired sigh. "I can see that I won't be getting anywhere with you tonight. I'm going to head to bed. Esme is waiting for me." He stood up gracefully.

Edward looked up. "Thank you for staying up with me."

Carlisle smiled fondly at him. "Anything for you, son."

Edward continued sitting on the couch, until he heard the front door swing open. He got up to look to see who it was. They had many people coming and going from their house because they used it as a training facility.

It was Tanya, another Protector, whom he'd spent the last century dating on and off. They were no love match, but they got along well—in the bedroom and out of it.

She was unraveling a scarf and shaking snow out of her golden red mane. She wore a peacoat and pants. It was 1977 and he still couldn't get used to the fact that women were wearing pants. He liked it, though.

"Hi," he said, knowing that she would have already heard him.

"Hello there, Edward," she responded, Russian accent apparent. She'd turned two centuries ago and had never let go of her roots.

"Hot cocoa?" he asked, noticing that she was rubbing her arms to ward off the cold.

Her lips curled up at the corners. "I can think of better ways to warm up." Her "w"s were pronounced with a soft "v" sound. It was part of her allure.

Edward had wanted to have a deeper relationship with a woman for a while, but right now he just wanted to feel better. And Tanya always knew how to make him feel good.

He followed her swinging hips down the hall to her room, shame and lust warring within him.

xXx

Bella woke up inexplicably angry. Okay, she knew why she was angry, but she didn't want to admit it. So what if Edward had banged some Russian skank almost forty years ago? What did it matter?

It did matter, though. It mattered because right now she was lying in Edward's arms feeling things for him she should be feeling. She was scared.

She sat up a bit to get a good look at Edward. He was still sleeping peacefully, his face looking so innocent with his ancient eyes closed. She disentangled herself and sat up.

Then she smacked him in the chest.

He opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her. "Good morning," he said with a cheerful smile. That smile quickly turned into a frown when he realized that she was angry.

"Who is Tanya?" she barked out.

Edward looked embarrassed, his cheeks turning red. Bella had never seen him so flustered before. "She was an on and off girlfriend over the years, but now she's just a friend. We've been off for over thirty years now. Actually, let me be clear: I've been off all women for thirty years now."

Bella gave him a flat look. "You expect me to believe that you've been celibate for over thirty years?"

Edward's blush deepened. "I have been. I've never been particularly promiscuous. I thought that Tanya could perhaps make me feel less lonely, but in the end being with her only made me feel more alone than ever." Edward's blush receded and an accusatory look entered his eyes. "How did you know about her anyway?"

Bella snorted. "I see. Now that I have information about you that you didn't want me knowing, the tables have turned. I shared your dream, your memory, with you. Luckily, it cut off before it could get X-rated."

Edward shook his head. "That dream would have never gone that far. Sometimes I think that memories come back to the forefront for a reason. They're meant to tell us something."

"And what was that dream meant to tell you?"

"I'm not sure yet. Only time will tell." He was being vague, purposely thinking in a language she couldn't understand.

_That's not fair_, she chided. _You know I only speak English._

He smirked at her. It's not my fault you yanks don't like to learn other languages.

"Whatever," she huffed. She was feeling a bit tetchy and perhaps even—

"Jealous?" Edward finished for her.

"You wish!"

"I do," he told her solemnly.

She hated how serious he was. The depth of his feelings for her made her uncomfortable. She decided that a change of subject was necessary.

"So when do we start strengthening my shields?" she asked.

Edward's thoughts let her know that he knew what she was doing, but was going to let it slide for now. "I'm thinking that we should start working on that today. You can come over to my house later. My family will be able to help you better than I can."

Bella's brow furrowed. "And why is that?"

"Because our minds are far too joined. You couldn't shield me if you tried. Jasper and my mother both have abilities that you should be able to shield yourself from."

"Oh," Bella replied.

"Yes, 'oh'," Edward smirked. "I figure that Alice and Rosalie should join us as well. Something bad is brewing. They need to be prepared for it as well."

Bella also had the feeling that danger was lurking. "I'll text both of them."

Edward stood up and nodded resolutely. "Great. I'll go home and change and you can get ready here. Meet at my house in two hours?"

"Make it three. Just because I'm a girly girl doesn't mean that I don't like to pamper myself every once and a while."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "You're going back to sleep for a while, aren't you?"

Bella smiled, caught. "Pampering includes beauty rest."

Edward reluctantly chuckled. "Okay, fine. Three hours it is." He gave her his hand to help her up. She took it and felt the familiar spark that contact with Edward seemed to cause.

She didn't let go of his hand, even though she should. "I want to make it clear that we're not a couple." She meant to sound certain, strong, but his finger caressing her hand made her voice breathy.

"Sure," he told her, smirking his stupid smirk. "We're not a couple _at all_." His tone was as insincere as he could possibly make it.

"We're not," she gritted out, frustrated. She released his hand.

"I said that we're not." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger for a moment. "I'll see you in three hours, Bella. Have a nice nap."

He sauntered out of her apartment. Bella was not starting at his (amazing) butt as he walked out. Not even a little bit.

xXx

Bella tossed and turned in her bed for half an hour before giving up and heading to take a shower. As she got undressed, everything that had occurred in the past 24 hours began to hit her.

Aro had been lying to her for _years_.

Edward and her had begun some sort of mating process.

She had kissed Edward.

She had (literally) slept with Edward.

She stepped under the spray of the shower and let the water hit her face, hoping that it would hide the tears that had begun forming in her eyes. To say that she was overwhelmed would be an understatement. Her life was no longer what she thought it was.

The person who had murdered her parents and raped her was still out there. He was still hurting people. She wouldn't leave stopping him to someone else this time around, though. She would do it herself.

She just felt so angry. Her life hadn't gone as planned. She'd been wasting her time stealing from people she thought were bad. Instead, they'd been people who had been helping the Cullens. She didn't have total proof of it yet, but she knew what Aro was capable of now. That kind of trickery wasn't beneath him.

Bella could feel hatred and rage boiling beneath her skin. She needed to stop it—she couldn't afford to lose control of her powers.

_Think happy thoughts_, she told herself.

The very first thing that popped to mind was the feel of Edward's lips on hers. It shouldn't have made her feel good, but it did.

Heat blossomed deep in the pit of her stomach. Bella began to soap up her body and her fingers traveled to her breasts. She imagined that it was Edward's soft hands stroking over them instead of her own. She could feel her nipples hardening and an almost uncomfortable sensation between her legs. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced since she was sixteen—since before her attack.

While one hand cupped her right breast, the other one slid down between her legs. Slowly, experimentally, she stroked over the most vulnerable part of her.

A burst of arousal shocked her into removing her hand. Something wasn't quite right. She let go of her breast. She shouldn't feel so horny.

_Edward_. She checked into their mental bond and felt a sense of arousal and pleasure coming from him. She went deeper to try to see what he was doing.

Once she caught a glimpse of his current state, she recoiled.

He, like her, was touching himself in the shower. The only difference was that _he_ was thinking of _her_.

At this point, he'd copped onto her distress and reached out to her mind.

_Bella_, he simply said. _Bella_. Her name was a prayer. He continued on with his actions. She could feel his pleasure mounting.

She whimpered, both in fear and delight. Her hands moved back into the position they'd been in just moments ago.

Edward stroked himself harder.

Bella moaned, her hand tweaking a nipple.

_Bella, Bella, Bella_, Edward chanted.

_Edward_, she called back.

When they came, it was as one, the pleasure multiplied and almost unbearable.

As Bella's senses returned to her, she had only one thought.

_Fuck_.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Author's Note: I cannot begin to apologize for how long it too me to update! Real life took over these past couple of weeks. I will be back to updating regularly now, as things have cooled down. As always, I appreciate and try to respond to any and all reviews!

Chapter Fourteen

Bella numbly turned off the water in her shower. She could feel Edward's panic on the other end of their bond, but she wasn't ready to deal with that this very moment. Her own panic was her first priority.

She couldn't believe what she'd just done with Edward. Even more shocking, was that she had done it entirely of her own free will. She'd let her (and Edward's) feelings guide her.

If Edward wasn't already getting the wrong idea about their relationship earlier, he was certainly getting the wrong one now. Which was why it was such a surprise that he would be feeling agitated. She'd expected him to be quite pleased with himself. Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't expected things to happen the way that they did.

For the moment, she was willing to be lenient with him. He'd already cut her a lot of slack. It was her turn to be patient with him.

Off in the distance, her phone began to ring. She wrapped herself in a towel and went into the living room to retrieve it.

She made the mistake of answering without seeing who it was.

"Hello," she said, voice as pleasant and polite as she could make it. She hoped that whoever was on the other end didn't hear the lingering notes of panic in her tone.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward blurted out from the other end. "I didn't mean for that to happen. Not like that, at least."

Bella heaved a world-weary sigh. "I know, Edward. I know. It's okay. I'm just not ready, Edward."

She could feel Edward's emotions shift. He was feeling content, sated and perhaps a bit predatory. Apparently, he didn't like her answer. "Oh, I think you're ready. It wouldn't have happened if you weren't. I just wish I'd had more of a chance to romance you, so to speak, before it did. You deserve the best, Bella." His velvet voice was mesmerizing.

Luckily, Bella liked to think herself immune to being mesmerized (even though, with Edward, that wasn't entirely the case). "I'm going to hang up now," she told him.

"Are you still coming over later?"

She rested her face in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes. "Yes, I am."

"Good. I have to go finish my shower now," he purred.

Images of Edward naked and soaping a certain part of himself entered her mind.

She ignored the shivers going down her spine. "Goodbye!" she squeaked out before ending the call.

Edward Cullen was far too good at throwing her off balance.

She could hardly believe what had happened. Her sex drive had been dormant for years. One look at Edward, though, and it seemed to wake right up.

_Maybe, just maybe, I can be normal_, she thought to herself.

The thought fled her mind almost as quickly as it had entered it. Even if she was capable of having a sexual relationship with Edward, she certainly wasn't capable of having a romantic one. She had enough trust issues to fill the Atlantic Ocean. There was no way that someone like her would ever be able to be in a nice, normal relationship.

Times like these made her wish that she had girlfriends to talk to. Instead, she had crazy Alice and kind-of-crazy Rose, who, yes, she had to admit were fast on their way to being her friends. They would hardly understand her (non) relationship with Edward.

While she was thinking of them, she decided to text them about meeting at the Cullen's house that afternoon. Both Rosalie and Alice's responses were indicative of their differing personalities.

Alice said, _I've been planning my outfit for this day for years. FINALLY, I get to meet Jasper! XOXOXOX_

Rosalie's response was more Rosalie-esque: _Do I get to light Carlisle Cullen on fire for annoying the shit out of me for all those years? Either way, I'm down_.

Bella didn't bother replaying to either text, although she feared for the safety of the Cullen men, especially Jasper.

_Poor, poor Jasper_.

xXx

Later that day, it wasn't Edward who answered the door to his home, but Esme. She knew that Edward was home, though. The closer she'd gotten to his house, the more clearly she could read his thoughts and emotions. At that very moment he was thinking of their little joint shower adventure that morning.

Bella blushed and covered up her embarrassed groan with a pretend coughing fit.

Esme gave her a concerned look. "Come in dear. I sometimes forget how adversely the cold weather can affect humans. Although, it is only October, so it's not that cold out."

Bella interrupted Esme's contemplation. "I'd be glad to come in. I just choked. I'm fine."

Esme led her to the sitting room and gestured for Bella to take a seat on the sofa, while perching on the chaise lounge across from it. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

Bella smiled sadly at the motherly tone in Esme's voice. It had been years since anyone had been able to mother her. "No thank you, Esme. I appreciate the offer, though."

Edward appeared practically out of thin air, not bothering to hide his speed. "Hi," he said softly, as if trying not to startle a frightened animal.

Bella looked at her feet. "Hello." She looked up and gave him a small smile. She couldn't help it. Being in his presence made her happy.

She regretted thinking that as soon as she saw Edward's Cheshire smile. _Don't get cocky_, she scolded him.

_Poor choice of words_, he retorted, grin only growing.

Bella growled aloud out of frustration. In response to Esme's look of confusion, she said, "Your son doesn't seem to share your impeccable manners, Esme."

Esme turned to glare at Edward, who flopped down into the seat next to Bella. He raised his arms in a gesture of innocence. "Sorry, Mom."

Esme sniffed in response. "I've raised you to be a gentleman, Edward. Please act like one."

The doorbell rang and Esme got up to answer it. "Behave," she told them as she strode off.

Edward slid over so that there was only an inch of space between he and Bella. "Darling," he said, voice low and seductive. "You seem to be a bit flustered."

He was toying with her, as a cat would with a mouse. Edward had always been playful with her when she was a child. Now that she was an adult, that playfulness had become something much more devastating.

She could feel her face heating up and knew that she must be turning red. "You _know_ why I'm embarrassed. What happened should have never happened."

He reached over to brush her hair off her shoulder and skimmed his lips over her neck. "I want you. You want me. It's natural. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I don't _want_ to want you, though," she murmured, distracted by his touch.

Their conversation was interrupted by Alice and Rosalie's entrance. Edward made no move to disentangle himself from Bella. Instead, he rested his chin on Bella's shoulder.

She shoved him off her. _Stop it_.

He looked pointedly at her body, which was still angled toward him. _Your mind tells one story and your body another. _

Their behavior had not gone unnoticed. Rosalie, never one to miss a chance to tease, couldn't let it go without comment.

"Don't you two seem cozy?" she asked. "Should I be shopping for a bridesmaid's dress?"

"Rosalie!" Bella exclaimed, voice sharp. She could feel her cheeks turning red. In turn, she could also feel Edward's pleasure at her blush.

Esme decided to intercede before things became even more uncomfortable. "Jasper! Carlisle!" she called out. "Please come down here so we can begin."

The two blond men were in the room in an instant. Carlisle came to stand by Esme's side, placing a protective hand on her back. Jasper, on the other hand, chose to lean casually against the doorway.

Jasper took in the sight of Edward and Bella and winked at the both of them. "Hello, Bella," he drawled, charming as ever.

While Bella remained unaffected, someone else in the room did not.

"Jasper," Alice gasped.

Jasper's head snapped and his eyes landed on the petite young woman. Bella could hear the confused jumble of his thoughts.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

Alice gave him a smile tinged with sadness. "Not yet. But you will. I see Bella and Edward never bothered to mention me." She shot the two of them a playful glare.

Bella could hear Edward's mental snort. _Yeah, because it would have made him think she was completely insane_, he told Bella privately.

Bella was forced to stifle a giggle.

Jasper continued to look confused. "Huh?"

"I can see the past, present and future," Alice explained to him in her usual blunt manner.

Rosalie decided to make things perfectly clear for Jasper. "She's a fucking freak of nature who knows all and sees all. If she tells you that shit's going to go down, then you should listen the fuck up. We all care about her and if you break her heart, I will set you on fire. Literally."

Jasper looked a bit alarmed. "I don't even know her. I'm certain that I won't be breaking her heart."

Alice smiled serenely. "As am I."

Jasper was simultaneously weirded out and intrigued. "Okay, then." He cleared his throat. "So, Carlisle, what's the agenda?"

Carlisle smiled at everyone in the room. "Well, I think we've all been brought up to speed on who Aro Volturi is. The only thing we don't know is what his plan is. He is planning something, though. That is why we must be prepared to strengthen our powers in any way that we can. It'd be best if we split up into teams."

Alice clapped her hands together. "I highly approve of the teams you've picked out, Carlisile."

"Thank you Alice," he replied, looking a bit overwhelmed at her effusive praise. "I've decided that it would be best if we put Esme with Bella, Jasper and Edward with Alice and myself with Rosalie."

Rosalie crossed her arms with a snort. "I see you've finally found a way to try to teach me after all."

Carlisle gave an elegant shrug of his shoulders. "I figured that it'd be best if I was there in case you burned yourself. I do have the power to heal, after all."

"Sure, sure," she replied, clearly not convinced.

Meanwhile, Bella was panicking at not being paired with Edward. Training with Esme, a woman she liked, but hardly knew, was frightening to her. _Why am I not with you?_ she asked Edward. She winced at the petulant tone in her voice.

Edward took her hand in his and rubbed her knuckles, trying to soothe her fears. _Jasper and I are the only ones really equipped to help her hone her skills. He's an empath and I'm a telepath. We're both used to processing an overwhelming amount of information. Esme is also the best fit for you. If you can shield her from attempting to heal your mind, then you can shield anyone._

Bella understood his reasoning, but that didn't mean that she liked it. _Fine_, she agreed. _I'll work with Esme_.

Edward's mental chuckle warmed her. _Esme is a gentle soul. She won't bite_.

_I may, though. I'm not always the nicest person_, she admitted.

_You are far kinder than you give yourself credit for. _

Bella, uncomfortable with Edward's praise, turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. "So," she said, feigning enthusiasm, "when can we get to work?"

Carlisle gave her one of his golden smiles. "Right away. You and Esme can stay here in the parlor. I'll take Rosalie outside as to minimize any damage. Edward, Jasper and Alice can go to the entertainment room upstairs."

Everyone agreed with the plan and went their separate ways.

Bella was alone with Esme.

xXx

"Again," Esme commanded. It was Bella's fifth attempt at blocking out Esme's power and Bella had yet to be successful. Esme always remained patient. If she was annoyed, she certainly never let it show.

Esme's intrusion into her mind continued to take Bella aback. Every one of Esme's entrances felt like a gentle, motherly caress. The truth was that Bella didn't want to resist it. She now understood what Edward had meant when he said that if she could resist Esme's advances, then she could resist anyone.

Right now, Bella could feel the beginnings of Esme's mind entering her own, looking for weak spots to heal. Bella tried to envision a stone wall that touched the sky, but she was far too nervous to get it right. She felt Esme retreat right as she touched upon a fracture in Bella's mind. Bella was grateful for the fact that Esme never tried to heal those fractures. It was as if she knew that they were a very part of Bella's identity.

After Esme had fully retreated, she looked at Bella, her gaze seeming to search for something. Once a few moments had passed, she gave a resolute nod. "You are intimidated by me," she stated.

The words were said gently, but Bella felt as if she had been punched. She was not used to someone seeing her so clearly. "I am," Bella agreed, voice weak.

"May I ask why?" Esme gave her a kind smile, showing that she meant no harm. Although Bella may have been a startled deer, Esme was hardly a lion.

Bella leaned forward in her seat and covered her face with her hands. Her voice was muffled, but still intelligible. "I'm not used to someone being so nice to me. You remind me of my mother. She was also a kind soul. It has been a long time since I've met someone who makes me feel the same way she did. It's terrifying."

Esme came to sit down beside Bella. She tentatively reached out to hold Bella's hand, which she allowed. "No one can ever replace your mother. It can be scary when we meet and care about someone who reminds us of someone that we lost. I once lost a son. I know that pain."

"Edward?" Bella asked, uncertain as to whom Esme was talking about.

Esme shook her head gently, gaze falling to her knees. "Not Edward. When I was human, I had a son. He was a sickly boy with a gentle heart. His father was the complete opposite. He had his health, but there was not a trace of kindness in him. He abused my son and me in terrible, horrific ways. One day, he decided that he wanted me to himself. He tried to kill our beautiful boy and I interceded. He killed me and I became what I am now. Our boy still lost his life. My husband was able to kill him as I was changing."

There were tears in Esme's eyes as she told her story and Bella could feel her own eyes welling with tears. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Esme." She squeezed the woman's hand. Realization dawned upon her. "Is that why you were so desperate to have a child with Carlisle?"

"It was part of it," Esme answered, pain in her voice. "The healing of minds also took a toll on me. It caused my own mind to splinter for a time. I was in a terrible state when I agreed to let Aro help. I could not recognize the darkness that resided in his own mind."

"He hides it well. How were you able to let go of the madness?"

"Edward," Esme replied simply, much to Bella's surprise. "Once he joined us, he was able to recognize when the healing was becoming to much for me to take. He always stops me before I go too far, now."

Bella knew that Edward was mentally listening in on her conversation; just as she could see and hear everything he was experiencing upstairs with Alice and Jasper. She could feel the love and appreciation that he had for Esme swelling up in him.

_This is the part of the story you could not tell me_, she sent to him.

_Yes. It was Esme's story alone to tell, _he told her.

_Thank you for allowing her to tell it_. Bella's tone turned teasing_. I see that Jasper and Alice have hit it off._

_Indeed. For some reason he seems to find her mental instability to be quite attractive. He won't stop flirting with her. It's getting annoying_.

_You deserve it for the shower stunt you pulled earlier today_. She ignored the spike of arousal she felt from him at the mention of their mentally shared shower and refocused on Esme.

Esme was once again adept at recognizing Bella's feelings. "My son makes you happy."

Bella gave a slow nod. "He does. I just won't ever be able to make him truly happy."

Esme shook her head. "Isn't that up to Edward to decide? Besides, dearest Bella, if you could see the change in my son since he found you, you would not question the happiness that you bring him."

Bella blushed. "I'm just afraid that he's deluding himself. I am broken. I cannot be fixed."

Esme took her hand from Bella's and reached out to stroke her hair. The touch was so motherly that she could feel he own heart breaking. "Love can sometimes heal that which we believe to be utterly irreparable."

Bella felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Can it, though?" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm afraid that it won't."

Slowly, so as to telegraph her every movement, Esme pulled Bella into a gentle hug. "Fear is the only thing that can conquer love. You must not let it take root in your heart. Do you hear me?" Esme's tone was more vehement than Bella had ever heard it.

"I will try," Bella replied through her tears. "I'm just not sure that I'm strong enough."

Esme tightened her hold and gently stroked Bella's back. "You have survived so much. There is a strength in you that you don't even recognize."

Esme's words settled into Bella's very soul. For the first time, she realize that maybe she hadn't lived through hell just to live life away from the rest of the world. Maybe she did deserve better. The thought was both frightening and exhilarating. She decided to leave it for later.

Right now, she was appreciating the first motherly hug she'd received in six years.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Author's Note: This episode is a lot of talk and very little action, but a lot of important things are said. As always, I appreciate your feedback. Now, who's ready for a girls' night?

Chapter Fifteen

The next week proceeded in an unexpected fashion. Somehow, this ragtag gang of freaks and immortals worked well together. Everyone's training was going smoothly, for the most part. Luckily, Carlisle was able to heal from the burns that Rose had "accidentally" given him the first day. Immortality had its perks.

What was most surprising for Bella were the relationships she was allowing herself to form with the others. The hug she'd received from Esme had made her turn a corner. For the first time in a long time, the only thing she wanted was to be happy.

She'd forged friendships with Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and even Emmett, who had shown up on their second day of training. Rosalie had not been happy and had made it known.

When Emmett had walked in the door of Edward's house, the beautiful blonde's fingers immediately begin sparking.

"Happy to see me?" Emmett asked, grinning.

Rose turned to Carlisle. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"Language," Carlisle softly chided. "He's here to help us. I thought it would be best to have a Justice Seeker here to help us against another Justice Seeker. I thought he might also be of use in helping to hone your power."

Rosalie looked outraged. "He's here to help me? I thought I was supposed to be working on controlling my temper, Carlisle."

Carlisle smiled serenely back at her. "Exactly. Emmett tests your temper. If you can control your powers with him, then surely you can do it with anyone."

Rosalie admitted defeat with her usual grace by stomping outside. Emmett followed after her, whistling.

Edward leaned over to whisper in Bella's ear, "I think that went well."

Her relationship with Edward had taken an interesting turn as well.

He was both infuriating and intoxicating. During that week, he took every chance he had to touch her. His body always seemed to manage to brush up against hers any time he passed by. When he talked to her, he would grab her hand and hold it. And every night when she left to go home, he went with her and left her at her door with a kiss on her cheek.

Along with these moments, she'd also catch him thinking about their first kiss and their little shower moment. Sometimes he was thinking about it on purpose and other times it was quite voluntary. He was clearly up to something and she knew what it was.

He was seducing her. And it was working . . . kind of.

When he touched her, she allowed it. When he thought his little dirty thoughts, she didn't complain. When he made any excuse to spend time with her, she went along with it.

The one thing he didn't do, though, was push her. Each and every one of his actions seemed to be punctuated with a silent, _your move_. If they were going to be together, it was going to be her decision. She would have to show him that she wanted him.

She was terrified to make that move. The idea of any kind of romance in her life seemed truly baffling. Her heart and mind were both scarred. Edward had made it clear that he would accept her in any way, shape, or form. He hadn't seen the worst parts of her, yet, though. Once he did, surely he would run.

She had a choice before her. It wouldn't be an easy one. She knew she needed help in making it, so she did something she'd never done before: called for a girls' night.

xXx

After a week's worth of hard work and training, both Alice and Rosalie were agreeable to the suggestion of some female-only bonding time. Bella had invited both of them to her apartment for some wine and cheese. She wanted to keep things classy. Simple.

Rosalie made it clear that she had other ideas when she showed up at Bella's door, toting a liter of Grey Goose vodka.

Bella cocked a brow. "And who will be drinking all that, might I ask?"

"You, me, and Alice," Rosalie retorted, ticking each name off on her fingers.

"Good luck with that. I'm not getting wasted."

Rosalie breezed into her apartment and set the Grey Goose down on the kitchen counter. "Well, I sure as hell am not drinking this whole thing alone." She took in her surroundings for the first time and looked impressed. "I have to say, I may come from some serious money, but my parents would never set me up in a place as nice as this."

Bella shrugged, uncomfortable. "I didn't exactly come about the money for this place through honest means. I was stealing things for Aro. He paid me a lot to do so." It felt right for her to confess this to her new friend. She wanted Rosalie to know the worst parts of her. Alice already knew because of her power, but Rosalie was a different story.

Rosalie's reaction surprised her. Her expression remained calm, unbothered. "Bella, I tend to set shit on fire. Important, meaningful shit. Do you honestly think I'm going to judge you?"

Bella looked away from the other woman's gaze. "I don't know. I guess I should also tell you that I didn't just do it for the money. I like to steal things." She held up her wrist for Rose to see. There was an expensive men's watch on it. "I stole this from Edward today. He left it on a counter. It was shiny, so I took it. He hasn't noticed yet."

Rosalie burst out laughing. "You're too funny. Like I said: I don't care. You may have made some shitty life decisions in the past, but you're clearly not now. I'm sure Edward won't mind if you steal from him. In fact, I think he'll like it."

Bella felt her face heating up. "You don't think he'll be mad?"

"Not at all. Things seem to be heating up between you two. I've been meaning to ask you about that."

Before Bella was forced to respond, there was a knock on the door. Bella opened it to find Alice standing there, armed with a package of plastic shot glasses.

"I foresaw a lack of drinking paraphernalia," Alice solemnly intoned.

Bella sighed in exasperation. "Not you too. I bought wine! And cheese! This is supposed to be a classy, quiet night."

Rose looked at Bella as if she'd grown a second head. "Have you ever had a girls' night before?"

Alice answered for Bella. "She hasn't! So we're going to have to show her the ropes." Alice ripped the package of shot glasses open and placed three on the counter next to the vodka. "Now, what are we toasting to?"

xXx

Two hours and several shots of vodka later, Bella was feeling light and airy. Everything was funny.

"Edward is a redhead, isn't he?" she blurted out between peals of laughter.

Alice giggled. "I do believe he is."

Bella frowned. "Oh fuck. Ladies and gentleman, I think I might be head over heals for a ginger."

Rosalie was like a shark scenting blood. "So, are you going to mate with him?"

Bella sighed. "I think I may have to. He's so pretty. And he gets me. His hair is red, though." Bella's voice dropped to a whisper. "And I'm afraid he won't always want me."

The three girls were laying in a circle on Bella's living room carpet. Alice reached out and grabbed both Rosalie's and Bella's hands. "I can guarantee you both that the men in your lives will never leave you. They will be totally devoted."

Rosalie snatched her hand from Alice's and took a swig from the pink vodka concoction she'd mixed up for each of them when they got tired of taking straight shots. "If you're talking about Emmett, then you need to shut the fuck up. It's not happening."

Alice was smug. "Time will tell. For one thing, I always knew that I'd mate with Jasper and it happened last night."

Rose and Bella sprung up in unison. "What?" they shouted.

"Last night. Jasper and I. We mated. It was great. We're, like, one now."

"I'm too drunk for this conversation," Bella muttered. Louder, she said, "So, uh, you guys did it?"

Alice kicked her legs up in the air in girlish excitement. "We did. And now we're mated. And I'm a Protector, too. And Jasper and I are going to be together forever." She pretended to swoon.

Bella found a thread of sobriety in her alcoholic haze. "Wait. What do you mean that you're a Protector now?"

Alice shot up in a panic. "Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. You weren't supposed to find out this way. This is not the good path."

"Tell me, Alice," Bella ordered.

Alice began speaking at a mile a minute. "Well, you see, when a Protector or a Justice Seeker and a super powered human love each other very much, they tend to want to mate. And mates are supposed to be forever. So when the two mate, that human becomes whatever their mate is." Alice waggled her fingers. "Ta da!"

Bella stared back at her, expression blank.

Rosalie snorted. "I don't think that she appreciates your theatrics right now."

Alice sniffed. "And to think I put so much effort into that." She snapped her fingers in front of Bella's face. "Earth to Bella. Don't be mad. Edward didn't tell you because he was afraid you would reject him. He's not experienced much love in his life."

Bella's outrage had been growing, up until Alice's words. She was right. This was as new a territory for Edward as it was for her.

Bella took a deep, calming breath. "This is a big deal. He should have told me. I can understand why he didn't, but I'm not happy about it. It's information that is absolutely fucking vital to any decision I may make about him and me."

Rosalie groaned. "Bella, a hot, bangable guy wants to be your forever-fuck-buddy. Just go for it."

Bella reached over the bottle of Grey Goose and took a swig. "I can't."

Rose grabbed Bella's cellphone off the coffee table and handed it to her. "Here. If you're so interested in getting an explanation from him, then ask him. I have a low tolerance for whining and bullshit, and you're really testing it right now."

A part of Bella knew she should be offended, but she wasn't. It was just Rose being Rose. "I can't call him. I've been drinking."

Rose waved her hand in the air as if she were swatting away a pesky fly. "Oh puh-lease. The best and most honest conversations always involve a bit of alcohol."

Bella looked unsure.

"I'll show you my super speed if you do it," Alice bribed.

Bella grabbed the phone out of Rose's hand and dialed Edward's number.

"Bella," he answered, after the first ring.

"You are a redhead and a liar," she blurted out. The vodka she'd just imbibed wasn't doing her any favors.

Edward was clearly amused; she could feel it across the bond. "Darling, have you been drinking?"

"I will neither confirm nor deny that. You are just trying to distract me. You lied to me, Edward Cullen. You never told me that if I mated with you, I'd become a Protector."

"Fucking Alice," Edward swore. "I was going to tell you when the time was right—when we'd gotten to know each other a little better."

"I should have known right up front! What if I don't want to live forever? Did you ever think of that?"

If Bella was angry, Edward was furious. "There you go again, erecting another wall between the two of us. You'll use anything as an excuse to stop the inevitable from happening."

Bella tried to match his fury and failed. "Oh yeah? Well, you're just a stupid redhead!"

"First of all, my hair is auburn. Second of all, I'm not the stupid one here."

"Hey!" Bella yelped, outraged. "Did you just call me stupid?"

"You are smart in many ways, darling, but when it comes to our relationship, you think some pretty dumb things."

"You're acting like a . . . like a . . . meanie!"

Edward chuckled. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm acting like. I'm just a ginger meanie. Listen, why don't we talk about this in person tomorrow? You should enjoy your girls' night. Goodnight, Bella." He hung up without waiting for a response.

Bella stared at the phone, mouth agape. "Did he just hang up on me?"

Rosalie patted her on the shoulder consolingly. "Yes, he did."

Bella floated her drink over to herself. She was more drunk than she thought because some of the drink splashed over the top as it made its way to her. "He has no right to be angry at me!"

"It's not about who has the right to be angry at who. It's about you two working out your problems like adults. You know, the very thing you've been refusing to do," Rose pointed out.

Bella pouted. "You're not nearly as drunk as I am, are you?"

"Bella," Alice warned, letting her know that neither she nor Rosalie were going to allow her to get their conversation off track.

"Ugh! Fine! I'm terrified, okay? Is that what you people want to hear? Do you want to know how I lay awake at night, wondering if I'll ever deserve him? Or maybe you want me to tell you about how, at the end of the day, the thing that scares me the most isn't being with him forever, but the idea that I'll never be able to have sex like a normal woman?" Bella chugged down her drink and slammed it on the table. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears at bay.

She felt Rosalie and Alice each take on of her hands. She opened her eyes to stare at them. Both were looking at her not with pity, but with understanding. Alice was the first one to speak.

"I had—_have_—the same fears. Being with Jasper doesn't make me forget them—it helps me to conquer them. Every time he touches me, it heals a small part of me. It lets me know that human contact can be filled love instead of violence." Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "Don't you see, Bella? You _can_ have it all. You just have to let yourself."

Rosalie—strong, invulnerable Rosalie—had tears streaming down her face. "What she said," she choked out.

Bella let Alice's words wash over her. She felt them shift something in her. She was _ready_. She was ready to be happy. She was ready to live. She was ready to let Edward in. Tomorrow, she would tell him.

_Tomorrow_, her heart and mind told him through their bond.

_Tomorrow_, his own heart sang back.

Bella burst into tears. Alice and Rosalie wrapped her in their arms. Once her tears dried up, she pulled away, making sure she could look both of them straight on.

"Thank you," she told them fervently. "Tomorrow, I'm going to talk it out with Edward. I'm going to make things work. He and I still have a few things to hash out, but I know we can do it."

Rosalie feigned shock. "You _must_ be drunk."

Bella let out a wet chuckle. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Alice and Rosalie stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Bella reluctantly joined along with them. "I guess I'm not exactly a ray of sunshine." She decided a change of subject was needed. She hated having attention focused on her. "So, Alice, any information about the cologne?"

Alice shook her head. "Nope. I should hear something in the next few days. I'm supposed to be sent a list of people who bought it in the area."

"The sooner, the better. I want to find that bastard and gut him." The flames that licked her fingers served to heighten Rosalie's fierce image.

"Settle down there, cowgirl," Bella cautioned.

"Whatever," Rose grumbled. "Let's do more shots! Then Alice can show up her new super powers."

"Yay!" Alice cheered.

The girls spend the rest of the night drinking and laughing. It was the most fun Bella had ever had. These people—they were her family.

xXx

Alice woke Bella and Rosalie up the next morning. She was much more chipper than the other two girls.

"What the fuck, Alice?" Rose groaned. "Haven't you ever heard of a hangover?"

"Now that I'm a Protector, I don't get hangovers!" Alice boasted. "C'mon, I made pancakes. Hangover breakfast of champions!"

"Five more minutes," Bella grumbled, shoving her face further into her pillow.

"Nope. We have to be over the Cullen's in half an hour!"

Bella shot up. _Edward_. She felt for him through the bond. He was excited, hopeful. Today was _their_ day. And she was going to look hungover for it.

Bella walked into the bathroom without a word, hoping that she could make herself look presentable.

Half an hour later, after the girls rushed around and got dressed, they were ready to leave.

When she opened her door to leave, Bella saw a flyer lying on the ground. "What's this?"

Alice snatched it out of her hand. "Oh goody! It looks like an invitation to a Halloween party." She frowned to herself. "I only have a week to shop for a costume."

"Let me see that," Rose commanded. Once Alice handed it over, she read through it. Her face paled and she began to tremble.

"Rosalie? What's wrong?" Bella asked.

Rosalie stared off into space, eyes wild and face ashen. "No. _No_. It can't be."

"Rose! Snap out of it!"

Rose looked at Alice and Bella, as if she had just noticed they were there. "The address for the party," she whispered. "It's the same abandoned house I was found in after I'd been raped."


End file.
